We're Crazy and We Love It
by i.love.gred.and.forge.forever
Summary: Sophie Wood and her friends are in their 7th year at Hogwarts and they swear not to waste it. They want to have fun, and they will, but other things will happen too that are, well, not so fun. Sophie's going to learn what it means to fall in love.
1. I Hate Colds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just my OCs! :)**

_Chapter 1 - I Hate Colds_

"Take it."

"No!"

"Please, don't be stubborn. Take it!"

"I don't want it!"

"You _need_ it."

"Don't care."

"Sophie, _take it_."

"Never..."

"Fine then, stay sick."

"What?"

"If you don't take it, your cold won't go away."

"...I'll take the cold, thanks."

"Oh, it's not _that _bad! Don't act like a child-"

"Child!"

"Yes. I feel like I'm taking care of a child right now."

"Fine. Give it here."

"There we go," Destyn leaned back in his seat and smiled as I took the potion from him. "It's really not that bad. I don't know why-"

He didn't get to finish. I guzzled the Pepperup Potion and, just as he was talking, steam started to blow out of my ears.

"Hate that stuff!" I said, coughing dramatically and tossing the cup at him.

"That's better," Destyn said, catching the cup with ease. Psh, of course it was 'with ease.' He could catch anything. He was one of the best Keepers Hogwarts had ever seen. He was a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team...and my brother. Oh, he was also the Captain of the team. Yep, my brother is my captain. Oh! I didn't say I was on the team too? Well, I am. Chaser, best position in my opinion.

"I hate you," I pouted. "I hate you. I hate colds. And I hate that potion!"

Destyn opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"Destyn!" someone called, walking over to the bed I was sitting on. "Did she take the potion, _finally_?"

Destyn grinned as he turned to face James Potter, our best mate. "Yeah, finally," he said, rolling his eyes.

James grinned at me. "Aww, poor wittle Sophie!" he said in a baby voice. He was _mocking_ me. Oh, the nerve of some people. "Was it really as bad as you made it out to be?"

"Yes," I answered. "It was awful. _Worse_ than I'd imagined, actually."

"Poor Sophie," James said, sitting on the bed beside me. He looked at me with the stupidest look I'd ever seen. It was like a mix of trying to be cool and trying to make me feel stupid. It didn't work. I just rolled my eyes. "So, can we get out of here now?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, frowning at James and then at Destyn. "Let's go." I started walking towards the door, the other two followed after me, chuckling all the while. No doubt, they were talking about me. Just as I stepped outside the door of the Hospital Wing, I heard a mysterious clicking sound. I should have known what was coming next.

A cold, very cold, like, brain-freezing cold, bucket of water splashed over me. I stopped dead in my tracks, mouth hanging open, shocked. I heard a familiar laugh ring down the hall.

"No way," I said. Without even looking, I knew who it was. "Frederick whatever-your-middle-name-is Weasley _the second_! You. Are. Dead!"

Fred continued to laugh.

Destyn moved to stand beside me. He grinned at me and then looked at Fred. "I'd be careful, mate," he warned. "She used your full name_, plus,_ she even said _the second_. That means danger.

"Psh, she didn't use my full name," Fred said. "My middle name is George, not 'whatever-your-middle-name-is.' And I'm not even sure if my full name is actually Frederick or just Fred. That has never been clarified."

He talked big but he kept distance (and a statue) between the two of us. Which was smart because I would have blasted him into oblivion if he approached me right now.

James stood in front of me and looked up and down my wet body. "Not bad, Wood," he said, checking me out and nodding in approval.

I glared at him.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said, pulling out his wand and waving it. My clothes dried instantly.

"Thank you," I said bitterly as I turned to Fred. "Run, Weasley. Or you shall die." I whipped out my wand.

Fred stuck his tongue out at me and ducked behind the statue as I sent a hex at him.

"Hey now!" Destyn exclaimed, snatching my wand away. "You _know_ you're not supposed to do magic in the corridors."

"Goody two-shoes," James muttered.

"Not true," Destyn said, pointing my wand at James.

"Now, now, Mr. Destyn Wood," I said in a high pitched, evil, scolding voice. I snatched my wand back. "No magic in the corridors."

James burst out laughing as well as Fred who accidently stepped out from behind the statue during his laugh attack.

"Oh, you like to laugh, do you?" I asked Fred. "Well, here's something that'll make you laugh. _Rictasempra!"_

**Well, there's the first chapter of the story about a bunch of crazy 7th years. It's kind of short but hopefully the next one will be longer and full of laughs! Wonder how Fred handled that tickling spell? ;)**

**Sophie's and Destyn's last name isn't a coincidence. They are, indeed, the children of one of my favorite HP characters ever! Oliver Wood!**

**Well, please review! I'd really appreciate it! =)**


	2. Sweet, Sweet Revenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP! I do own my OCs though! :)**

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><p><em>Chapter 2 - Sweet, Sweet Revenge<em>

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><p>Sweet, sweet revenge. Yes, revenge. I would have it. I would have revenge on that little twit, Fred Weasley.<p>

"Sophie," James whined. "Could we please stop lurking around corners of corridors, waiting to cause some kind of bodily harm to my cousin?"

"Never," I hissed back. "Now be quiet! He could show up any minute-oh- shh!"

James sighed and leaned against the wall behind me.

"Here he comes," I whispered. The footsteps approached and crouched down, ready to jump out and hex him. Alright, 3...2...1... I jumped out, brandished my wand, and shouted, "_Anteoculatia!_" The spell shot from my wand and hit... oops.

Roxanne jumped back and shrieked as my hex hit her. Antlers sprouted from her head and I watched, mouth agape.

A roar of laughter erupted in the corridor. I looked up behind Roxanne to see Fred. He was standing at the other end of the hall, pointing and laughing.

"I'm so sorry," I said, turning my attention back to Roxanne. She was a couple years younger than me but just as tall with dark skin and black hair. "I was trying to get your git of a brother over there."

"I know," Roxanne said, feeling her antlers. "I wondered why he was trying to get me to walk down the corridor first."

"Yeah," I said, scratching my head and looking at the ground guiltily.

"Wow," James said, moving to get a closer look at Roxanne. "Nice." He nodded approvingly and then glanced at me. "Pretty good at that hex. These antlers are _huge!_ Ya know, Roxy, you should keep them. You look better with antlers."

Simultaneously, Roxanne and I reached up smacked him on the head.

"Ow!" he whined. "What was that for?"

"For being a git," Roxanne said, glaring at him.

Fred approached us and, with one glance at Roxanne, started bursting out into laughter again. He shook his head as he recovered and then grinned at me. "Nice aim," he said. He raised his arms and smiled innocently. "Truce?"

I glared at him. "Alright, fine. Truce."

"Whoa, did I miss something?" Destyn asked, coming around the corner and stopping beside me. "Roxy's... got antlers. When did that happen?"

"When Sophie here _tried_ to hit me with a hex but I outsmarted her and made her hit Roxy," he said with a chuckle. "Ah, wonderful. I love it when my plans work."

"Arse," Roxy and I said at the same time.

"I'm going to the Hospital Wing to get rid of these," Roxy informed us and pointed at the antlers. "They can't stay. See you around."

"Aw, but, c'mon," James whined as she walked away. "They look so cool! Think about it! I could tell people I have a cousin with antler! Oh...fine." He waved his hand at her dismissively. "Boring people."

I raised my wand. "You like antlers, huh?" I asked. "I'd be happy to give you some."

"Really?" he asked happily.

"No."

When we reached the Great Hall that night we headed to the Gryffindor table and sat down, wating impatiently for our food. I glanced down the table and saw Roxy sitting with Albus, James's brother in her year, and Rose Weasley.

"So," said Culley Finnigan, sitting down beside James. "Any explanation for Roxy's antlers?"

Destyn, Fred, and James all pointed at me. I glanced around. Also pointing at me were, Robby Thomas, Ali Longbottom, Elizabeth Creevey and Lorcan Scamander, whom James just_ had_ to tell about my mishap with the hex.

"I take it Sophie's to blame?" Culley asked. He shrugged and dug into the food that had just appeared.

"Yeah, there's a pretty funny story behind it," James said enthusiastically. "So, you see-"

"James," I growled. "No."

He pouted at me and then mumbled to Culley, "I'll tell you in the dorm later."

"Ah. Alright, mate," Culley said.

I rolled my eyes.

"That one's gonna get around, Sophie," Robby said, grinning. "It's inevitable."

"Unavoidable," James agreed.

"Inescapable," Destyn added.

"Alright, alright!" I exclaimed. "I get it. I. Get. It."

"I think she's skipping," Fred said. "She just said 'alright, alright' and then 'I get it, I get it.' Should we take her to the Hospital Wing?"

James barked a laugh. "Nah, who needs the Hospital Wing when I can check them over?" he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Ha. Ha." I said, unamused. "I would never want _you_ checking me over."

"Lies," James said, shaking his head. He leaned over to Culley and muttered. "She's in denial."

"James Potter!" I said as I picked up some random piece of food and threw it at him. "I am not in denial about anything!"

"Except the fact that you lost us that Quidditch match last year," Destyn muttered.

"I did _not_!" I cried, turning to him. "I was just about to score when that Slytherin _git_, Montgomery _Flint_, sent a bloody bludger right at my head and _someone,_" I looked pointedly at Fred who turned his gaze to his food, "was too distracted to notice. Know this, my head felt like it had been thrown on the ground and stomped on by a thousand people! So, don't tell me that I lost us that match." I finished and returned to my food calmly.

They all just stared at me until James burst into laughter. Culley followed quickly after, then, Destyn, then, Fred, and finally, everyone else who had heard.

"You...are so... defensive!" James said between laughs.

I ignored them and finished my dinner. I did my best to hide the fact that my face was beet red.

We ate our desert and then headed up to the common room. Lorcan stayed behind to hang out with his twin, Lysander, who was in Ravenclaw. Robby and Ali left to find Elizabeth who had mysteriously disappeared during dinner without any of us noticing. So, it was just me, James, Destyn, Culley, and Fred again.

"Have any of you finished that essay for Binns?" James asked as he pulled his essay out of his bag and held it up.

"Nope," Fred said, popping the 'p'. "I was going to do it today but I ended up setting off a dungbomb in Barnus's office instead."

James, Destyn, and I all groaned.

"_Barnus,_" Destyn scoffed.

Professor Barnus, a.k.a. Barfus, was our Transfiguration since we first started at Hogwarts. He was known for being strict and giving lots of homework. He annoyed the life out of most students. We'd try to say something and he'd just interrupt and tell us to work. Well, hello, sometimes we have something important to say! _Sometimes_. Not very often though.

Culley sighed. "I still haven't finished that potioons essay," he said. "_Or_ the one for Barfus."

"Well," Fred said, pulling out his books. "Let's get to work... for a little while."

We sat together, discussing Potions, Charms, and Trnsfiguration until we all got too tired to work anymore. Fred was the first to leave and then Culley, both of whom had short attention spans and didn't like to work.

Destyn stretched and yawned. "Well," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I am done for now. I'm tired. Heading to bed."

"'Night," James and I said at the same time.

Shortly after Destyn left, James packed up his books and parchment and stood up. He smiled at me. "You gonna keep working for awhile?" he asked.

"Hell no," I said, shoving everything into my bag and throwing it over my shoulder. "Way too tired." I started walking over to the stairs with James and stopped at the foot of them.

James gave a tired sigh and smiled at me. "Goodnight, Sophie," he said, ruffling my hair. I hated it when he did that. "See you tomorrow."

"'Night," I muttered and walked sleepily up the stairs to my dorm.

I never really got revenge on Fred, huh? Oh well. It would happen, eventually.

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><p><strong>Well, there's chapter 2! Hurray! Hopefully chapter 3 will be up tomorrow. :)<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**

**See you next time!**


	3. NEWT Classes Suck

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, just my OCs!**

_Chapter 3 - N.E.W.T. Classes Suck_

"Okay, N.E.W.T.s suck," I said as I grabbed another book. It was Saturday and guess what we were doing?

Studying...

In the library...

All day...

Until Quidditch practice that evening.

It must have looked funny, ten of us, all seventh years, crowded around one table in the library. Yes, _ten_. Destyn, Fred, James, Culley, Robby, Ali , Elizabeth, Lysander, Lorcan, and I were _all_ studying. Of course, it made sense that Robby, Ali, Elizabeth, and Lysander were studying. But me, Destyn, Fred, James, and Culley? Yeah, we usually pushed everything to the last minute.

"Tell me why," Destyn said, "why should I have to get N.E.W.T.s in," he picked up a random book and looked at it, "Charms, when I'm just going to play Quidditch after I graduate?"

"Why does _anyone_ have to get N.E.W.T.s?" Robby said sullenly as he continued to write his Care of Magical Creatures essay.

"Don't you complain," Fred said, shoving Robby. "I'm working with dad at the joke shop when I'm done here. Why should I need N.E.W.T.s for that? _You_, on the other hand, need N.E.W.T.s so you can work in that Department of Control and Something-or-other of Magical Beasts. Whatver it's called!"

Robby rolled his eyes. "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," he corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Fred replied.

I sighed. "I just want to write about Quidditch and organize sporting events," I said. "Why should I need Transfiguration for that?"

"Because you just _do_," Culley said with a grin.

"You know, Culley," Ali said, "you've never said what you want to do?"

"Oh," he said, glancing up at her. "Department of Magical Transportation, Floo Network Authority."

Elizabeth grimaced. "That sounds awfully boring," she stated.

"Yeah, but it _is_ the Floo Network after all," he said. "And that means fireplaces. Fireplaces means fire. And you all know how much I love fire!"

"Work with dragons then," said Lysander.

"That's _my_ job," Robby said, pretending to be defensive.

I grinned and continued to write my Transfiguration essay. Up until this time, I'd never thought about the fact that this would be our last year at Hogwarts. This would be our last year _together_ and then we'd all go our seperate ways. Of course, a lot of us were planning on working for the Ministry so we'd all see each other fairly often.

I wanted to work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, specifically in the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters. That had been mine and Destyn's plan since we were little. That way, when he's playing a Quidditch game, I get to be there _all the time_ since it would be part of my job. Destyn was currently hoping to be signed either to the Wigtown Wanderers or the Tutshill Tornadoes.

As for the others?

Ali and Elizabeth both wanted to be Healer's at St. Mungo's. Ali specifically wanted to work with Creature-Induced Injuries and Elizabeth wanted to work with Magical Bugs and Diseases.

Lysander, the crazy boy that he is, wanted to be an Unspeakable. Yep, he wanted to work in the Department of Mysteries. His twin, Lorcan, wanted to work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

And then there was James. He had gone back and forth about whether he wanted to play Quidditch for a living or be an Auror like his dad. After O.W.L.s year he decided to study to become an Auror but then he decided he would play Quidditch and have his Auror training as a back up in case something happened that made him incapable of playing any more. It was actually a pretty good idea. Especially since he was known to get himself injured by pulling some stupid stunt during matches. Like last year, there was a match against Slytherin that we _had_ to win. Well, the Slytherin Seeker was about two inches from catching the Snitch when James suddenly decides he'd rather die than lose the match. He _stood up_ _on his broom_ and jumped _over_ the Slytherin Seeker and grabbed the Snitch. We won, but he was in the Hospital Wing for a week after that.

"I can't believe we've been in school for only _three weeks_ and we've already got homework piled up like this," Ali said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It's insane!"

"Yeah," said Fred. "And it doesn't help that Barfus is using N.E.W.T.s as an excuse to be even_ harder_ on us than ever."

"Hate to say it," Destyn said, "but we can't really complain. We've been expecting this since last year, remember? Besides, most of us have future plans that depend on N.E.W.T.s."

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, raising an eyebrow. "_Most_ of us, not including you."

Destyn smiled. "That's because I'm smart enough to choose Quidditch as a future."

I barked out a laugh. "You mean you're _not_ smart enough to pass your N.E.W.T.s so you chose Quidditch instead?"

"Hey now," he warned. "Watch what you say."

That evening, after Quidditch practice, I decided to stay on the pitch for a little while after everyone else had gone. I flopped down on the grass, right in the middle of the pitch and stared up at the darkening sky. This year would be my last chance of winning the Quidditch Cup. Well, we've been winning it these past few year but...I wanted to win it for my last year too. Couldn't hurt, could it?

Wow. It was really my last year... My last chance... My last year with my friends. My last year at this school. My last year on this pitch. My last year of...just being a kid. I'd start a whole new life after school. I'd get a job. Meet new people.

"Looks like we had the same idea," someone said, causing me to sit bolt upright. I turned to see James standing a few feet away from me, grinning like an idiot.

"And what idea would that be?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"To stay here and think about the fact that this our last time playing Quidditch on this pitch," he said, sitting on the grass beside me.

"Wow," I said, laying back down. "It's like you read my mind."

"Yeah, I'm good at that," he said, flopping onto his back.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him, a grin sliding onto my face.

"It's a bit...sad, really," he said. He turned his face towards me. "Don't you think? I mean, this our _last_ year...after 6 years of being here."

"James Potter, getting emotional?" I said teasingly.

"Never," he replied coolly, turning to look at the stars that were now appearing. A small smile slid onto his face as he took a breath.

"It is sad, though," I finally said. "I'm going to miss it here."

"Me too...but we still have the rest of the year," he said, rolling onto his side to look at me again.

I rolled onto my side as well to face him. I grinned. "I have an idea," I said.

"Ooh, do tell," he said in mock excitement.

"I'm serious!" I said, reaching over and smacking him. "Listen to me."

"Alright," he said, rubbing his head where I'd hit him.

"This is our last year here. We all are going to miss it here after we're gone. Right?" I said. I continued without giving him a chance to speak. "I know we're going to be bogged down with homework and distracted with Quidditch but we have to make sure of one thing, okay?"

"Alright," he said again, looking curious. "What do we need to make sure of?"

"That we have fun," I said. "And I don't mean regular fun. I mean...Fred Weasley fun. Over-the-top fun! We need to do _everything_ and not care what happens! I mean, I'd be happy to help Fred set off dungbombs in Barfus's office! I just want to let loose and go crazy this year! Of course, not crazy enough to get expelled... but I haven't been in detention for two years! Ever since I got it for hexing that stupid jerk, Vaisey, I haven't done anything to get in trouble...and, to be honest, I'm sick of _not_ hexing Slytherins."

James stared at me for a minute and then burst into laughter. He rolled onto his back, clutching his stomach.

"What?" I asked, sitting up. "What did I do?"

"Noth-nothin-I-" he took a deep breath and looked at me with watery eyes. "It's funny, is all. _You_ wanting to cause trouble."

"I'm bored," I said, crossing my arms. "And I want my last year here to be fun."

James smiled at me and nodded. "Alright," he said, sitting up. "I think Fred and I can help you with that _but_...we have to get your brother on boars with the plan too. If he isn't then you _ know_ he'll try to spoil our fun."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine right now," I said.

"_You guys can't go causing trouble!_" James said, mocking Destyn's voice."_You'll get put in detention and screw up our practice schedule!_" He grinned. "Something like that, right?"

"Yes, something like that," I said. "We should talk to the other, ya know, Robby, Culley, Elizabeth, etcetera. They should be in on the fun too."

"Agreed," James said as he stood up. He held his hand out to me. "C'mon, let's get back to the common room."

I took his hand and he helped to my feet. "Alright," I said and then turned and started running towards the castle. "Last one back owes the other a Butterbeer!" I shouted back to him.

"What!" he exclaimed, chasing after me. "That's not fair! You got a head start!"

"Suck it up and deal with it!"

**Yay! Chapter 3 is done now! Woot woot! And Sophie has vowed to have fun! Yaaaaay!**

**Anyway, you kinda see a bit of a Sophie/James moment here. Yippee!**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! I love reviews! =)**

**See you next time!**

**P.S. I apologize for any typos! I didn't have time to check over this chapter! :/**


	4. Getting Into Trouble

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP, just my OCs!**

**Thanks to 'RonHermione7' for my first review! I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you continue to enjoy it! =)**

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><p><em>Chapter Four - Getting Into Trouble<em>

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><p>"James," I hissed, nudging his arm. "James! Wake up, wake up - too late..."<p>

Professor Barnus cleared his throat as he stared down at James who had his head on his arm, sleeping soundly.

I nudged James again and he groaned, sitting up to glare at me.

"What?" he asked in a whiny voice. "I was-" He stopped and followed my gaze, turning around to come face to face with Barnus. "Oh, hi Professor."

Barnus raised an eyebrow. "Well, Mr. Potter. Could you repeat what I what I just told the class?" he asked.

"Eh," James scrunched up his face, thinking. "We're going to be, er, working on conjuring spells?"

Professor Barnus inhaled deeply. "That was half an hour ago, Potter," he told James who bit his lip guiltily. "What did I say five minutes ago?"

"Oh! Well," James said with a relieved laugh. "Professor, do you honestly think I would know that? I was sleeping!" He said these words as if sleeping in class was no problem. Like it was Professor Barnus's mistake for choosing to ask him rather James being the one guilty of sleeping. Wow...

"This is the fourth time and you've only been back three weeks," the Professor said. "As much as it pains me to do this, Potter, detention. My office, tonight."

"Psh, _pains you_, yeah right," James muttered.

"Excuse me?" Barnus asked.

"Nothing, Professor," James answered, placing an innocent smile on his face.

"No, by all means, if you have something to say then please, share it," Professor Barnus challenged.

"I just wanted to say I had a really great dream," James said with that innocent smile.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Why did he always have to get smart with the Professors? I placed my hand over my face and shook my head.

Professor Barnus sighed, shaking his head, and walked back to the front of the class. "Just don't forget your detention, Potter," he said. "Five O'clock."

"What!" James exclaimed. " But I have Quidditch practice!"

Oh, _now_ it was a big deal to get detention. I could not believe him. I know I swore to have fun but I also knew I had to be careful so Destyn wouldn't attempt to kill me for missing practice. James seemed to have forgotten that completely.

"You'll have to miss it tonight," Barnus said.

James stood up and his face reddened and I knew what was coming next. It was never a good thing when he lost his temper. He had a tendency to not think before opening that big mouth of his.

"But, Professor Barfu-" he stopped and his eyes widened.

Oh for the love of Merlin! Did he _really_ just call the Professor by his nickname on accident! _What. An. Idiot!_

"What was that, Mr. Potter?" Professor Barnus asked, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nothing...sir," James said, sitting back down. "Nothing."

"Detention all week," Professor Barnus said.

"Yes, sir," James said calmly but I could tell he was really angry inside.

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><p>"YOU WHAT?" shouted Destyn.<p>

Everyone in the Great Hall looked at us curiously.

It was lunch and James had just informed Destyn that he could do evening practice all week.

Destyn took a deep breath. "What did you do?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

James said nothing.

"He called Professor Barnus by our nickname for him," I said and everyone looked at me. "He said it to his face."

Culley, Robby, and Fred burst into laughter. Ali and Elizabeth sighed and Destyn placed his head in his hands.

"I don't believe it," Destyn said exasperatedly. See, Destyn hadn't been in Transfiguration that day because he had to go to the Hospital Wing for...well, I'm not going to say what spell Fred used on him but it took awhile to fix the, er, problem. Everyone else had seen it but still found it funny to hear the story.

"Well, believe it," I said, calmly taking a bite of my food. "I tried to stop him because I knew you'd take it like this but...well, we all know how he gets."

"Could you not talk about me like I'm not here?" James asked.

"Right now," Destyn said, trying to stay calm, "I have to pretend you're not here or I might strangle you."

"That's comforting," James said with a slight nod. He returned to his food without another word. For once, he actually looked genuinely guilty. Destyn was the only person with the power to make him feel like that. Actually, Destyn could make _anyone_ feel guilty. But James, especially. James always wanted Destyn to approve of him. I guess since he was the eldest of his siblings he kind of looked at Destyn as 'big brother' and he felt like he needed his 'big brother's' approval. I don't know, it was weird. Destyn was like James's hero but, of course, he'd never admit that.

"Alright," Destyn said, twisting his fingers together. He always did that when he was frustrated. "_Alright._ Morning practices then... We need to have everyone together to practice."

Culley, Robby, and Fred all groaned which got them a glare from James. Oh yeah, Culley and Robby were Chasers along with me. Fred was a Beater and so was Lorcan, wherever he was at that time. Yes, I was the only girl on the team. It was kind of depressing but at the same time it was kind of cool knowing I was 'running with the big dogs' as Destyn would say.

"Don't worry too much about it, James," Destyn said with a sigh. "We'll manage."

That cheered James right up. Like I said, he always wanted Destyn's approval.

"I still want to kill you though," Destyn stated.

"Right," James said, looking like a scorned child. "Okay."

"So, how was detention?" I asked, trying not to laugh at James's face. He looked frustrated and bored at the same time.

"Please, do you even have to ask?" he said. "Two hours with Barfus...It was miserable!"

"What did you have to do?" Culley asked.

"Lines," James said, his head drooping in shame. "And vanishing spells!"

"Oooooh!" we all said together. Note, James hates vanishing spells and is terrible at them and Professor Barnus knew that. So, it was the perfect punishment.

"He said I have to do a _decent_ vanishing spell by the end of the week," he said.

"Or what?" Destyn asked, looking dangerous.

"An extra day," James replied and then he saw Destyn's face. "Don't worry! I'll make sure I get it done!"

"You had better get it," Destyn said.

Culley was laughing. We all looked at him like he was crazy.

"Well," he said once he'd calmed down his laughing, "at least there's one good thing about this detention! You'll_ actually_ be able to do a vanishing spell!"

James reached over and smacked Culley on the back of the head and then pretended that he hadn't done it. He grabbed his bag and stood up. "Well," he said, sounding confident. "You guys have nothing to worry about. You all know that I'm a genius. By the end of this week, I'll be the _best_ at vanishing spells."

"You can't beat Elizabeth's vanishing spells," I said, shrugging. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

James sighed and drooped his shoulders. "Well, you _totally_ just burst my bubble, meanie," he said, walking away. We all started laughing and he grinned like an idiot as we followed him out of the Great Hall.

James's week of detention passed fairly quickly and on Monday morning we headed to our Charms class as he bragged about perfecting vanishing spells.

"Don't get into trouble again," Destyn said as we took a seat.

James scoffed. "Me? Get in trouble with Professor Grace?" he said, mocking hurt. "How could even think that, Destyn?"

Desty rolled his eyes. "I don't know...maybe because you _hit on her_ everyday?" he said.

"Touche," James said. "But she never gets me in trouble!"

Unfortunately, it was true. James, that idiot, would hit on Professor Grace constantly. She'd tell him to concentrate on his work and threaten him with detention but she never actually got him in trouble. You see, Professor Grace was our youngest teacher and our newest too. She'd just started last year and she was only 23. She was beautiful too. Tons of girls looked up to her and would constantly whisper about how much they wish they could look like her. I secretly wished that too, not that I was ugly or anything, but it who wouldn't want to look like her? Her straight, long black hair that always flowed perfectly. Her almond-shaped, stormy grey eyes and porcelain skin. She looked like she could be a vampire or something...she wasn't though, just so you know.

My hair was cut chin length in a bob style. It was brown as well as my eyes, just like my dad. I was often told by adults who know him that I looked just like him, but in a female version. Destyn, on the other hand, looked _exactly_ like dad but with darker hair. He had mom's hair, which was just a darker shade of brown so it didn't make him look different at all.

"Good morning, class," Professor Grace said, walking into the classroom and stopping in front of us all. "You all know what you're working on. I told you last week."

"_Fianto duri,_" the class chorused, with their wands down, of course.

"And what does it do?" Professor Grace asked. She always started class this way.

"Creates a powerful magical barrier," we all said.

"Yeah, what they said," James said quickly.

Professor Grace just rolled her eyes and began to tell us how to work the spell.

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><p>"Honestly, James," I said as we all walked to the beech tree by the lake. "I don't understand how you do so well in exams when you never pay attention. How much do you all want to bet he'll get all E's and O's in the N.E.W.T.s?"<p>

"I'm not even going to bother betting," Culley said, shaking his head. "We all _know_ he'll do it."

"Ah, but _how_ I do it, you do _not_ know," James said. We reached the tree and he flopped onto the ground, staking out his usual spot.

"Where's Destyn?" I asked, ignoring James.

Robby nodded toward the castle. "Said he had to go talk to someone," he said, sitting down beside James and Culley. "You guys didn't hear him?"

"We tune out his voice a lot," Fred said, nodding slightly.

"Right," I said as I sat down. "This person he needs to talk to couldn't be a _girl_, could it?"

"And if it is?" Fred asked.

"I'll have to punch her lights out," I said.

"Gosh, you are even more protective of him than he is of you!" James said with a laugh.

"Speaking of girls," said Ali as she walked over to us and sat down. Elizabeth followed after her. "James, look who it is." She pointed towards the lake.

James looked up, eyes widening. He reached over and smacked Ali's hand. "Don't point!" he said.

"Whoa, calm down. She's got her back turned. She can't see me," Ali said, holding her hands up innocently. "Take a deep breath, Captain I-Swear-I'm-Gonna-Talk-To-Her-This-Time."

We all started laughing. That nick name was very fitting. That's why we called him that everytime we saw Delilah Thompson. Every day, he'd see her and swear to talk to her. Every day, he chickened out like a little wussy.

"I am!" he said, standing up. "I'm gonna talk to her! Right now!"

I frowned. "You're joking, right?" I asked. It was fine that he liked her and all but the thought of him actually talking to her...I didn't like it...because I didn't like _her_. She always acted so stuck up, like she was better than me or something.

"Try me," he replied as he started walking over to her, shooting us a prideful look.

"She's gonna shoot him down," Elizabeth said. "I can see it already..."

"So you're a seer now?" asked Robby, earning himself a smack on the head from Elizabeth.

I glared after James. Was he really going to do this? I'd supported him through all the years he'd liked her but when it came right down to it, it was a bad idea. Just an awful, terrible, _stupid_ idea to talk to her. Elizabeth was right, she was going to shoot him down. And if she didn't, she'd break his heart eventually.

James was talking to her now. He was actually talking to Delilah.

"Someone prove to me that I'm not dreamin'," said Culley. "Ow!" he exclaimed. I guessed that someone had pinched him but I didn't see. I kept my eyes glued to James and Delilah, a frown plastered on my face.

Delilah laughed at something he said and then glanced over at her friends. James took this chance to turn to us and give us thumbs up and a proud look.

"Right," I said, standing up. "I'll see you guys later." No one payed attention. They were all staring, open-mouthed, at James. He heaved a sigh. "Okay, bye." I said and walked away. If they wanted to watch the show, then fine. But I didn't. Man, he really was stupid. They all were. How could they not see Delilah for what she _really_ is? ...Maybe I was the stupid one for not telling James. He might have listened to me.

No. He wouldn't have. He was stuck in some dream world, imagining that someday he and Delilah would be together. Maybe it wasn't such a far off dream after all. I thought about this as walked toward the castle.

"Sophie!" someone called. I glanced back and saw Fred, running to catch up with me. I turned to face him as he stopped in front of me. "Want to talk?" he asked.

"About what?" I asked him.

"James and Delilah," he said, surprising me. "I could tell you were upset."

"What? Me? Upset? No," I said. "No, yeah, I'm fine."

"You're fine?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, no, I am," I said, trying to keep eye contact with him.

"Then why do keep saying 'yeah' and 'no' in the same sentence," he said. "Sound to me like you're covering."

"Yeah, no, I'm not covering," I said and then froze. "I said it again, didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah, no," he said, imitating me. "Yeah, you said it again."

"Great," I said. "Just great."

"So, you like him?" Fred asked me.

"_What!_" I shouted, causing Fred to jump. He reached over and covered my mouth with his hand.

"Shh! You're gonna bust my ears," he said. "I don't want to end up looking like my dad."

I smacked his hand. "Fred, that's rude!" I said.

"I was joking!" he cried out. "Um, don't tell my dad I said that, okay?"

I just nodded.

"Alright," he said, throwing and arm around my shoulder and making me walk with him. "Let's talk then."

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><p><strong>Wow! Long chapter this time! :)<strong>

**Aw, Freddie! =) I really wanted it to be Fred that noticed her getting upset because he's the one Sophie always assumes doesn't care! Turns out he really does!**

**So, I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I've been so distracted with Pottermore lately that I forgot to write! :O**

**I hope you liked this chapter! The next one is going to be more Fred/Sophie talk and it's gonna reveal a bit more about why Sophie's so upset! I'm sure you can guess why, of course! Well, I'll see you next chapter! Please review! Reviews are **_**awesome!**_


	5. A Weird and Awkward Conversation

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP! Just my OCs! ...My goodness, must I say this every time? XD**

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><p><em>Chapter 5 - A Weird and Awkward Conversation<em>

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><p>It was really<em> weird<em>. That was the only way to describe it. It was _weird_ that I suddenly hated Delilah Thompson so much. It was _really weird_ that Fred was the one who noticed I was upset and offered to talk. It was weird that I was actually considering talking. I nevered talked to people about this kind of stuff. I just _didn't_. It wasn't like me. I dealt with stuff on my own. I didn't _talk_ to people.

"So, let's talk," Fred said, sitting across from me. We were in the Astronomy Tower. A place we all hung out sometimes. Fred crossed his legs and raised an eyebrow when I didn't say anything. "Okay, for starters, I can tell you like James even if you're too thick to see it. How does that make you feel?"

I smacked him on the head. "Don't start with the 'how does that make you feel' thing," I said and then grinned. "It's unoriginal. I know you're more creative than that."

"Alright, fair enough," he said with a shrug. "I guess I should say, 'does that make you feel like dragging Delilah into an abandoned corridor and hexing her into the next century?' Better?"

I nodded. "Much better."

"Now answer," he said. Darn, I was hoping I'd dodged that.

I hesitated and then nodded again. "Yeah," I said. "I guess it does." I was surprised at my own honesty. I mean, this was _Fred_. How was I supposed to know if this wasn't some big joke? I didn't know... and that was the problem. He could be just messing with me. I was proven wrong. What he said next made me change my mind completely.

"So, if you really like him then you can't let him and Delilah happen," he said. His face was dead serious. He was _not_ joking. There was no way. "Want to know why?"

I nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Because I know something about Delilah that you and James don't know. Actually, a lot of people don't know it," he said, biting his lip. "I know because...I-well-it's-I-" he paused and took a deep breath. "Couple years back, I liked Delilah too."

My eyes popped. "You? Really? Wait," I said, holding up my hand. "Couple years back? James has liked her for...I don't know, since third year, wasn't it?"

Fred nodded. "Yep, I liked her at the same time as him. Never said anything because I figured he'd try to murder me or something," he said. "Anyway, in fifth year, me and Delilah had a...thing going. I did something that made her mad and she knew James liked her so...she started telling her friends stuff. I don't know what she said but soon her and her friends were acting like I didn't even exist and she was being all flirty with James."

"Aha!" I exclaimed, making Fred jump a bit. "_That's_ why she was doing that! She really had James's hopes up that year."

"I know," he said with a nod. "But that's not all. See, while she was flirting with James to make me jealous she was _also_ getting cuddly with her dirty little secret, Uriah Flint."

I almost gagged. Okay, that's a lie. I didn't _almost _gag, I _did_ gag.

Fred grinned and that twinkle I knew so well returned to his eyes. "Thought you'd react like that," he said. "Yep, Delilah and Flint...It was a big secret. Nobody could know...but I found out."

I shook my head. "I don't even want to know how," I said with a smile.

"You're right, you don't," he said and then he suddenly looked a little worried. "This stays between us right? I really don't want James to know I-"

I held up my hand to silence him. "If you don't tell, I won't," I assured him. "So, what should I do?"

Fred smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know," he said casually, shrugging.

"What? Then what was the point of this whole talk! ?" I asked, smacking him on the head again. "I thought you had a plan, you idiot!"

He held his hands up protectively. "Whoa! Calm down! Calm_ down!_" he said, laughing. I glared at him as he took a deep breath. "Look, I just thought I'd help you get stuff off your chest and let you know that you're right about Delilah. Sometimes, just knowing helps."

I nodded slowly, thinking. "Well," I said with a shrug, "maybe I shouldn't do anything. It's James's choice."

It was his his turn to smack me on the head. "No way! Delilah's gonna chew him up and spit him out!" he exclaimed. "You might think James will be okay but he won't. I know that he puts on that tough guy, carefree attitude but, truth is, he's a real softy."

I raised an eyebrow.

"It's true," he said and the paused. "Still sworn to secrecy here?"

"Of course," I said, placing a hand over my heart. "Sworn. So, James...a softy? Really? I kind of wondered. Sometimes it just...seems that way."

Fred nodded. "Yep. He gets real sappy sometimes," he told me.

"Hmm, sound like you have firsthand experience," I said, grinning.

"Unfortunately, I do," he said with a sigh. "I have to listen to him talk about Del- uh, girls, all the time. Well, me _and_ Destyn."

"Destyn?" I asked. "He's never said anything."

"Yes, well, that's because if he did say anything then he wouldn't be able to keep from admitting it to James," he said. "He'd feel bad for saying stuff behind his back. You know how he is."

"Always Mr. Honest and Sincere," I said. "What a dork..."

"I, on the other, don't care as long as it helps get rid of Delilah," he said, causing me to bark out a laugh.

"You really hate her, don't you?" I asked.

"Can you blame me?" he asked. "She's really a...well, let's avoid harsh words. Anyway," he stood up and held out his hand, "this has been a...weird talk."

I tooked his hand and he pulled me to my feet. "Yeah," I agreed. "I really didn't expect you to open up and talk about you and Delilah. It has been weird."

Fred let go of my hand and started walking back downstairs. I followed. "Well, I really didn't want to but I figured it was necessary," he said. "I want you to know something, though. I've thought this for a long time and didn't say anything because, well, how was I supposed to say it?"

I watched him curiously as we walked.

He sighed. "You and James...I honestly think it would be possible," he said, glancing at me. "I mean, you two are so similar in so many ways and you've been friends since before you could walk and talk. You've just got to prove to him that Delilah's not...the one. I mean, I can't promise it'll turn out that way but as long as she doesn't hurt him... Okay, this is getting too weird and awkward. I gotta stop. Just...try, okay? Don't give up... because...I think he liked you...before Delilah came along."

I bit my lip but I didn't say anything. I wondered if Fred was right. Did James like me all those years ago? And could he still? Well, no matter what...I wasn't going to let Delilah break his heart. I honestly didn't even care if he liked me or not. I just didn't want to see him hurt. He was my best friend, after all.

Fred and I didn't say anything else to each other until we got back to the others. It was too awkward. It hadn't seemed so at first but when we really thought about it... it had been kind of a weird conversation. Fred never really opened up about things like Delilah. He always kept a cheerful attitude. I'd seen a different side to him today and it made me feel bad for being so harsh with him all these years. It was nice to know I had someone who could help me out...even if that person was Fred Weasley.

When we got back to the tree, James was acting as though he was in Heaven or something. Unfortunately for me, the reason he was so happy was because Delilah had agreed to go with him on the next Hogsmeade trip. Well, I was a step behind. Delilah - 1, Sophie - 0. Great...

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><p><strong>And there you go, chapter five! Sorry it was so short but I just wanted to get Fred and Sophie's talk in here. I wanted it to end up feeling kind of awkward. After all, they both were people who didn't talk about their feeling much so I think Fred was just winging it here to try and help. But yeah, it was fun to have them feeling a little weird afterward. Haha!<strong>

**I had a few different ideas of how this chapter was going to go and what Fred's story about Delilah was going to be. So I had to do a lot of thinking. It ended up being really hard to write because at first I had no clue as to where to go with their conversation. So, I apologize if it didn't turn out too great. XD I tried... :/ lol**

**Anyway! Next chapter will be up soon I hope! See you then! Review and let me know what you think! I hope you like it! =)**


	6. Fred's Experiment

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, just my OCs! :)**

**Sorry the update took so long! :( I've been so distracted lately!**

**Also, thanks for reviewing guys! It really means a lot to me to know that you're enjoying my story! =)**

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><p><em>Chapter 6 - Fred's Experiment<em>

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><p>"It's Hogsmeade today!" Destyn said, sliding onto the seat beside me. It was breakfast, and we were all sitting together, chatting about Hogsmeade trip. Well, everyone except me. I'd considered not even going but Fred had said that if I didn't, he'd drag me there, so I decided my safest bet was just to go.<p>

James was sitting across from me, talking to Culley and Robby. No doubt they were talking about Delilah, and that just got under my skin. I decided to shake it off, to not think about it. It was hard not to though. Here I was, sitting by while the boy I just discovered I have feelings for is going on a date with another girl.

"Sophie," Ali called. "C'mon. Let's get going! I want to go to The Three Broomsticks!" She smiled at me as I sighed and slid off my seat and followed her out of the castle.

"I just want to sleep," I told her sullenly.

"Well, that's just boring," Lorcan said, appearing beside me and making me jump. Where had he come from? "Fred and I are going to Spintwitches, after he goes to Zonko's of course."

"Of course," I agreed, rolling my eyes.

"Speaking of, I should probably find Lysander and catch up with Fred," he said, taking off ahead of us and waving. "See you in Hogsmeade."

Elizabeth and Ali walked on either side of me, talking about Hogsmeade excitedly. I knew I shouldn't be behaving like this. I knew I should be having fun in my last year like I said I would. But I couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated as I watched James walk to meet Delilah. A pang of jealousy shot through me as I glared after him.

_Stupid Delilah... Stupid James... Stupid Me..._

When we reached The Three Broomsticks we ordered three Butterbeers and sat down. I tried to wipe James off my mind and talk with Ali and Elizabeth but I was always somewhat distracted by the thought.

"I need a new quill," Elizabeth said, frowning. "My stupid brother broke mine." She sighed, shaking her head.

I allowed a smile to slide onto my face. Elizabeth's brother, Colin Creevey who was named after his late uncle, was always breaking or losing something of Elizabeth's. Her quill, her books, one time he'd even lost her wand and she had threatened him if he didn't find it.

"Good ol' Colin," Ali said, chuckling. "You know, I always thought-"

But I never found out what she though because suddenly Fred burst in and walked quickly over to us. He looked down at me with a wide grin on his face.

"Hi, Sophie," he said breathlessly, like he had been running. He looked around and grabbed a chair, pulling it up next to me and sitting down. He flung his arm around my shoulder and looked at me, eyebrows raised, mouth turned up at the corners.

"Fred," I said as calmly as I could, "what the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Testing something out," he said, glancing at the door as it opened to reveal James and Delilah. "Play along, alright?"

I opened my mouth to speak but didn't get a chance. James walked over to us with a smile on his face. "Hey guys," he said to Ali and Elizabeth and then shot a curious glance at Fred and I. "Hi."

Fred just nodded a greeting to him, smiling politely. He squeezed my shoulders lightly to remind that I should say something.

"Oh, uh," I cleared my throat. "Hi."

James shifted on his feet, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Well," he said, glancing back at Delilah and then back to me. What was that? Did he glare at Fred? No... I had to be imagining it. "I'll see you guys later." He waved and walked away to a different table with Delilah. He was back to his normal self. All grins and jokes.

I tried not to look at them as they chatted, sitting way to close for my liking. And then I remembered Fred. I turned to say something to him but he tightened his grip on me and leaned closer, whispering in my ear.

"Keep playing along," he said. "I promise it'll be worth it."

"I don't even get why you're doing this," I said, turning to face him and then leaned back, our faces had been way too close. "Care to explain?"

"Smile," he said. I forced a smile onto my face. "I'm testing James. I wanna see how he reacts to us acting all cuddly. Trust me, it'll help."

This time a real smile appeared on my face. "Oh," I said with realization. "Okay."

"Do whatever I say," Fred whispered, glancing at James.

Ali leaned across the table. "Could you tell us what's going on?" she asked. "All this whispering has got me suspicious. Last I knew, you two weren't an item."

Fred grinned. "So you think we look like a real couple? Perfect!" he said in chipper voice. "You two play along too, alright?"

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat, examining her nails. "Whatever," she said, "I know better than to question Fred Weasley."

"Good girl," Fred said, earning a glare from Elizabeth. "Alright, as soon as I'm done talking," he turned his face to me again, "laugh like I said some really stupid, funny joke."

So I laughed. And I didn't even have to act. Something about the whole situation was comical and made me laugh anyway.

After that Fred and I walked around Hogsmeade together for the rest of the day. Fred had officially named this 'Fred's Experiment' and continuously bragged about how intelligent he was. It was all in good fun, of course, and I knew that. Though sometimes I did wonder if he really was as full of himself as he seemed.

"So, you really think this is going to work?" I asked him as we passed Gladrags Wizardwear. Fred shot me a look that said 'of courses it'll work, do you doubt me?' Honestly? I kind of did doubt him. His ideas and plans were always insane and they very rarely worked out. But I guess I'd be willing to try... After all, I'd sworn to have fun this year, and to be completely honest, this was kind of fun.

"Relax," Fred finally said, "it'll work, I know it." He paused for second and looked at me, stopping in the middle of the street. "How long have you liked James...and, ya know, not known?"

I shrugged and continued walking. He sped up a bit to catch up with and started talking again. "It really bothers you to see them together doesn't it?" he asked, and chuckled. "I don't like watching her play my friend."

"I'm with you on that," I said. I let a mischievious smile slide onto my face. "But don't worry, we'll get it solved. After all, it's me and you, and we're unstoppable."

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><p>I leaned back in my chair, tipping it onto the two back legs, as I read (pretended to read) my Transfiguration book. It was the day after the Hogsmeade trip and I was still waiting for Fred'd report on James. He was killing me, making me wait this long.<p>

"No, Samantha," someone said. "I thought we agreed on this, already."

I looked around. Whoever was talking was about to get a good talking-to from Madam Short. Yes, the librarian's name was 'Short.' And it fit her perfectly, since she was really, really, _short_.

"Casey!" said another voice. "Casey! We _did_ agree on this! And we agreed that _I_ would get to be first!"

Finally, I saw Casey and Samantha Jordan come around the corner and I grinned. Of course it would be those two. They were _always_ arguing, and it was easy enough to guess what they were arguing about. Casey and Samantha were both announcers for the Quidditch matches and they took turns announcing. I was pretty sure that today they were arguing about who got the first match this year, as they did every year.

Casey stopped suddenly, causing Samantha to run into him. "Casey, watch it!" she exclaimed but he just ignored her when he spotted me. He walked quickly over to me and grinned. "Sophie," he said happily, "perfect! Where's Roxanne?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I don't know," I said. "I've been here all day."

Casey huffed. "Great, just great," he said. "We need her."

"No we don't!" Samantha singsonged. "Because I'm right and we both know it! _I_ get the first match this year!"

"Sophie!" called another voice.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Why did everyone suddenly decide to bug me? And of course it'd be while I'm in the library! And _where was_ Madam Short!

Destyn walked over to me, Fred right behind him. "Sophie!" Destyn said urgently. "I need to talk to you about Quidditch!"

"Seems like everyone has something to say about Quidditch today," I said nonchalantly. Maybe if I acted like I didn't care about what they were saying they'd leave. Nope... Fred shoved Destyn out of the way.

"All of you, leave!" he said. "I got something more important to tell her!"

"More important than Quidditch?" Destyn asked. "Pbbbfft!"

"Destyn!" Casey and Samantha said at the same time. "Which one of us gets the first match?"

"Sophie," Fred said. "I'm serious! Okay? This is about that _situation_. Ya know, from yesterday?"

I jumped up and opened my mouth to speak but someone beat me to it.

"Quiet!" Madam Short hissed. "This is a library, not a place for arguing! _Now out!_"

Casey turned on Madam Short and opened his mouth. My hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face me. "I swear!" I whispered angrily. "If you freak out on Madam Short and get us all in trouble, I will personally see to it that Samantha does _all_ the announcing!"

"Yeah, nice going, Casey," Samantha said, slugging him on the arm. He glared at her and then turned and left the library, Destyn and Samantha followed him.

I grabbed my books, shoved them into my bag, then turned and dragged Fred out of the library and into an empty corridor. I glanced around and then raised my eyebrows at him. "So?"

"So," he said, dragging out the 'o'. He held his arms out as if expecting a hug and grinned at me. "Who's awesome?"

I smiled. "You are," I said. "What happened?"

"Well," he dropped his arms back to his side, "James asked me just this morning, after acting all weird, if you and I were dating. So I said we were thinking about it and-"

"You_ what!_" I shouted at him. I punched him on the arm. "But we're _not!_ Now he's going to think I like _you!_"

"Sophie!" he said, grabbing my wrists as I tried to punch him again. "Cool down! You need anger management!"

"Think about what you've done, idiot!" I said, struggling to break his hold, but he was too strong. "Now, if James _does_ like me or something, he's going to think I'm impossible to be with because he thinks I'm with _you!_"

"_Exactly_, Sophie! Don't you see?" he said, chuckling as I tried to pull away from him again. "This is all part of the plan! If he does like you and you're impossible to be with then he's going to _try_ to be with you! _Think,_ Sophie_, think_. James never _really_ liked Delilah, he always just wanted her because she was impossible for him to get. Now that she's with him all the time he's going to get bored! You know how James is, he loves the chase. He loves to try and have the girl who's impossible to have!"

I nodded. His grip loosened and I dropped my hands to my side. "Continue," I told him, leaning against the wall behind me.

"I've always thought that James fancied you but he never did anything about it because...well, nevermind-"

"What?" I asked, glaring at him. "Because_ what_?"

"Don't get mad," Fred said. "Because you were always so much like a guy. And-"

"I _what!"_ I swung at him again and he easily caught my hands.

"Calm down! And listen! You've always acted tough, like you didn't need anyone so I guess he figured you were..._impossible,_" I froze and he let go of me. "Have you _really_ never thought about it Sophie? James has always been there, making you laugh, teasing you, defending you when you need it. You're _impossible_ Sophie...but I think you're different than the other girls. I think you've been _impossible_ since the day James met you... and it's driving him mad. He seemed genuinely upset when I said you and I were thinking about dating. So, here's what we're going to do next. Are you willing to listen?"

I nodded.

"After practice today I want you to stay on the Quidditch pitch," he said. "James almost always stays afterwards when he's got a lot to think about and I think I gave him _plenty_ to think about."

"Alright, so what do I do?" I asked.

"Talk to him," he said. "Just talk to him. Act like you usually do around him but a little..._friendlier_, I guess."

I smacked him on the head. "I'm always friendly!" I exclaimed.

He rubbed his head. "Yeah, of course you are," he said. "Just listen, alright? If he's acting weird or upset, just ask him what's wrong. Don't act like you don't care. And don't tell me that that isn't what you always do! You _always_ act like nothing matters!"

I opened my mouth to speak but found I had nothing to say. He was right. I always acted like I didn't care. I wasn't good with emotions and that sort of stuff.

"Alright," I said quietly. "I don't see how this is going to work but I'll try."

"It'll work," Fred said calmly. "Trust me."

"Okay, but what about the whole 'you and me' thing?" I asked.

Fred shrugged and started walking away. "Let him keep thinking it for awhile," he said. "Might be kind of funny."

"Fred Weasley," I said. "You are just terrible."

"I know!" he called back to me, chuckling.

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><p><strong>And so their crazy plan continues! I think Fred's a mad genius! ;D Just nobody realizes it yet.<strong>

**Anyway, hopefully next chapter will be up soon! We'll have a James/Sophie moment! Yay! Finally!**

**Well, review please! It would be much appreciated! :D And I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

**See you next time!**


	7. Impossible

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, just my OCs! :)**

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I love reading them! =) I'll talk more about it at the end of this chapter!**

**I don't know if I mentioned that this is my first FanFic... How am I doing? :D**

_Chapter 7 - Impossible_

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Destyn cried out, covering his face with his hands. "Could you _please_ watch when someone passes you the Quaffle! This is the _third time_ that you've been hit in the head by it!"

I sighed. "Sorry, Dest, I'll try," I said. Truth was, no matter how hard I tried to focus on practice I couldn't. I kept thinking about James and how I'd have to talk to him afterward. It was making me nervous. Me, Sophie Wood, nervous. Ha! Who would have thought? I hadn't been nervous since my first Quidditch match. Well, and my O.W.L.s exam. But I didn't count that. _Everyone _got nervous for O.W.L.s.

"You'll _try?_" Destyn asked. He sighed and shook his head. "Alright, guys! Let's try this again!"

I ground my teeth together as Culley tossed me the Quaffle, this time I caught it. But I missed when I tried to score on Destyn. I was still distracted. Why did we have to have an extra long practice today of all days? I just wanted to get this over with.

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><p>Once everyone was off the pitch I started to get worried. James had gone to the locker rooms but what if he didn't come back? I'd have to hold off the plan and do it some other time. I set my broom down on the grass and started pacing the length of the pitch. Back and forth. After awhile, I gave up and decided to leave. He must have already gone. I turned to walk back to my broom and yelped.<p>

I'd come face to face with James.

"You scared me!" I said, breathing slowly to calm my pounding heart. "Where the _bloody hell_ did you come from?"

"Locker rooms," James said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the rooms.

"Obviously," I said. "But I mean...how did you sneak up on me like that? I should have heard you!"

"You should have," he agreed, walking around me. He called over his shoulder, "but you didn't! I guess that means I win."

"You win?" I asked, following him. "You win what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said, grinning. "I just win." He took a deep breath. "This is the second time in the past three weeks that we've ended up staying out here at the same time. What's your reason?"

I froze. I wasn't good at coming up with excuses right off the top of my head. "Just, er, to think," I said lamely.

James chuckled. "You stole my line," he accused jokingly.

I smiled. "So what are you thinking about?" I asked, stopping beside him. I glanced at him. He looked like he was concentrating really hard as he chewed on his lip. Something about the look on his face was comical . I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"Guy stuff," he said with a smile. "Nothin' you'd wanna listen to."

"Well, apparently I _am_ a guy," I said. I noticed the look on his face so I added, "according to Fred."

James threw back his head and laughed. "What? Why did he say that?"

"Long story," I replied, shaking my head. "So..." I remembered what Fred said about trying to be friendlier...talking to James right now was harder than I'd expected.

James flopped onto the grass, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin on his fist. He was staring off into the distance, the concentration was back on his face.

I sat down beside him. "What's wrong?" _Idiot!_ _I'm being too straightforward, aren't I?_ "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

James chuckled. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm just,er, stuck."

"Stuck?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice was almost a whisper. "Stuck in a rut." Suddenly he stood up. "I gotta go."

I stood up as he walked away. "Wait a second!" I said. This wasn't working out at all. He just seemed more upset now. The next words that came out of my mouth were completely unexpected. "Is it about Delilah?" I asked, and then froze. _Damn_.

James turned around quickly. "What?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Who told you about that?"

I stopped. "Told me...about what?" I asked.

James covered his face and laughed. "Oh, you didn't know," he said. He uncovered his face and walked back over to me. "Yeah, me and her...didn't work out."

I tried not to smile. "Oh," I said. "I'm sorry. She dumped you?"

James burst into laughter. "Sophie, I'm so glad you have _so_ much faith in me," he said sarcastically. "No, I dumped her."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why?" I asked. "I thought you liked her?" _Unless Fred was right._

"She wasn't right for me," he said with a shrug. "I thought that maybe if I...Nevermind."

"I see," I said, nodding slowly. James reached out and ruffled my hair, grinning from ear to ear.

"I know," he said, "it seems ridiculous. After all this time of chasing after her I just suddenly stop. And, ya know..."

"It's not ridiculous," I said as I walked by him, running my hand through his hair. I walked across the pitch and picked up my broom, James following behind me. "People go through this all the time. They don't know what they want and they just have to take their time and figure it all out. Trust me, I know. I've been...dealing with the same thing."

"Aha, you fancy someone?" James asked, grinning as he caught up with me. "Who is she?"

I punched him on the arm and then smacked him on the head as well.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he said, ducking away from me. "I had to! Just_ had_ to!"

I crossed my arms and pouted at him. "You and Fred, two of a kind," I said.

"Psh." James threw his arms around my shoulders and led the way off the pitch. "So, who is _he?_"

I grinned at him.

"Oh, right," he said, and suddenly he was frowning. "I guess that was a stupid question. It's Fred, of course. He told me about you two." His arm dropped from my shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets, all the while staring at the ground.

I laughed. "Me and him? No," I told him. "Not happening."

"Then why did he say-?"

"Never mind," I said quickly as we entered the castle.

James shook his head. "Okay," he said with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna ask."

* * *

><p>"Genius! Genius! You <em>are a genius!<em>" I said, shaking Fred.

Fred watched me, amused. "Alright, alright," he said, laughing. "Enough with the flattery! So what happened?"

"James isn't with Delilah anymore!" I said happily, shaking him again.

"Alright," Fred said, pulling my hands off the front of his shirt. "So what about you two?"

I shrugged. "Nothing yet," I said. "But at least he isn't with Delilah anymore, right?" Fred rolled his eyes at me and huffed. "Right?" I asked again and he crossed his arms.

"Sophie, the whole point is to find out if he likes you or not," he said. "Yes, it's great that he isn't with Delilah anymore but-" He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "-this isn't over yet!"

I reached up and grabbed his wrists. "Okay, but can you let go?" I asked. He shook his head, a smug grin on his face.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head stubbornly. "Not until you swear to go throught with the plan! I put a lot of effort into this!"

"Sophie? _Fred?_"

We turned and saw James standing at the end of the corridor, staring at us, openmouthed. I realized how it must have looked. Fred and I were standing close, laughing and joking, his hands on my shoulders and me holding onto his wrists.

"But I thought you said-" James shook his head and closed his eyes. "Never mind." He opened his eyes and walked past us as quickly as he could.

"Wait, James!" I called after him. Fred let go of me quickly, looking horrified. "It wasn't - we weren't - I swear!"

James just waved his hand angrily at us and stalked away.

"James!" I called again but he ignored me.

"_James!_" Fred shouted. I'd never heard him sound so angry. "James, listen to her _right now!_"

James turned around and glared at him. "Why?"

"Because," he said, glancing at me, "she has something important to tell you! Good luck!" He turned to me as he said the last two words and then turned and ran down the corridor.

"_Fred!_" I said. "Damn him!" I turned back to James.

"So," James said, "what do you need to tell me?"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if this chapter is kind of slow! =) But, oooooooooh, Sophie's trapped now! Is she going to tell him! ? I'll get the next chapter up as quickly as possible!<strong>

**I hope you're still enjoying the story! This chapter was hard to write for some reason :/**

**So, about the reviews! :D **

**"Mrs. 11th" I totally got the same picture of Fred in a lab as you did! :D**

**"Org" I'm glad you're really enjoying the story! And, don't worry, you're English is wonderful! **

**And thanks to everyone else for reviewing as well! Keep it up! I really love it =)**


	8. Truth Be Told

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, just my OCs.**

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><p><em>Chapter 8 - Truth Be Told<em>

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><p><em>Damn Fred...Why'd he run off like that?<em> I thought furiously to myself. _Knowing him, he's going to have some big explanation for it._

James raised his eyebrows at me as I stood, unmoving, staring at him. I had no idea what to say. I didn't know what to do.

"That...wasn't what it looked like, I swear," I said, hoping he'd believe me this time. I decided to continue before he spoke, "Fred and I, are just friends, like I said. We weren't... We were just..." I took a deep breath as James shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for me to finish. "We were just talking and messing around. We just ended up in a position that looked like we were...snogging or something."

"Right, okay," James said as he turned away from me. "I don't care anyway."

I bit my lip. _He didn't care?_ "Then why did you react that way you did! ?" I said, though it wasn't on purpose. It just slipped out. I pursed my lips together, eyes wide.

He froze, hands in his pockets, head down. Slowly, he turned around to face me. "You're so blind, Sophie," he said, he sounded calmer. "I don't inderstand how you can't see why."

I dropped my gaze to the floor and swallowed hard. What was he saying? Was he telling me... he _liked_ _me?_ "James, I-"

"Don't worry about it, Sophie," he said quietly. "Love doesn't always work out for everyone."

Love? No...he couldn't be saying that he _loved_ me. There was no way. _Fancying_ someone because they're cute or something was one thing, _liking _them was a bit more complicated, but _loving_ someone was something I had never been willing to try. I preferred to keep my walls around me and not get too involved. Ali and Elizabeth never understood why I broke up with three of my previous boyfriends. Truth was, they'd tried out that whole 'I love you' thing _way_ too early in the relationship. It made me uncomfortable so I left. It always felt wrong when they said it, but hearing James say that he loved me...felt right.

"I l-" I froze and covered my mouth before I could finish speaking. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't do this. _Why_ couldn't I say anything?

I heard James take a deep breath. "It's alright," he said. "This is what I expected." And then I heard his footsteps moving away from me.

_I am such an idiot._ I thought angrily. Not only did I screw up my chance to tell him but I also may have destroyed our friendship.

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><p>"I swear this is one of the most frustrating potions I've ever made," Culley said, dropping another ingredient into his cauldron. A huge bubble formed and exploded in his face and smoke started drifting away from his potion. "Agh! What the-!" he exclaimed jumping back and wiping bits of potion off his face.<p>

"Good job," Robby said sarcastically, patting Culley on the back. "You take after your dad."

"Shuddup," Culley mumbled, returning to the potion.

"It's not that hard," Elizabeth said, grinning at them.

"Yeah, it is," Ali said sadly, staring into her cauldron.

They were all being so talkative, but I couldn't get my voice to work. I just stirred my potion quietly, avoiding their eyes and trying to ignore them. My mind was on James who sat at a nearby table with Destyn, Fred, and Lorcan. I glanced over at him and saw him laugh as Lorcan yelled at Fred for slipping something into his cauldron. Fred threw his hands up in innocence and started laughing. Destyn brought his palm to his forehead and shook his head.

"Idiots," I heard Elizabeth say, sounding amused.

"Who?" I asked, assuming she was talking about James and them.

She jerked her head toward Culley and Robby who were now arguing over what ingredient to put in next.

"Like I'm going to listen to _you_," Robby said with a laugh. "You'll just blow my potion up!"

"Whatever!" Culley argued. "I don't blow potions up, okay? That was an _accident!_ Not gonna happen again, watch!" He grabbed what he believed to be the next ingredient and dropped it into the cauldron. Everybody backed away quickly and covered their faces as a huge explosion sounded through the dungeon. We all lowered our arms and saw Culley standing there, glaring at a potion that was now nothing but smoke and ash.

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><p>"I told you," Robby said, laughing at Culley as they passed me. We were all heading outside during our free period to go sit under the tree again. I hesitated and then started to walk back to castle when someone caught my arm. I turned to see James smiling at me.<p>

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Aren't you going to hang out with us?"

I paused, thought about it, and decided it was best to keep my distance for now. "No," I managed to say. "I - I'm going to the library with...Lysander..."

"Lysander's down by the tree," he said, the smile had vanished.

"Right," I said. "I know. I forgot...he decided to hang out with you but I'm still meeting -" I hesitated for only a second as I thought of someone who I could pretend to be meeting - "Boot. Aaron Boot."

"Aaron's still in the hospital wing," he said, pulling me closer. "You're coming with us." He pulled me along with him as he walked toward the tree and only let me go when we got there and everybody was already talking to me. I couldn't just walk away now.

"James!" Culley yelped as James sat down beside him. He grabbed James by the front of the shirt and shook him slightly. "Tell Robby to shut up! He's making fun of me!"

James just laughed. "Culley, we all make fun of you," he said. Culley let go of James and crossed his arms. "Fine. Be that way. See if I ever talk to you again."

"Culley," Destyn sighed, shaking his head. Yeah, pretty much the only way to describe Culley was _Culley_. He was one of a kind. Culley just grinned as everyone started joking and laughing again. That's how it always was in this group, huh? Joking, laughing...talking loudly. I was usually in the mood to play along with them and make jokes. But not today.

I watched as James and Destyn made jokes, Fred sat by awkwardly, watching them, and everyone else laughed. Fred... I'd ruined his friendship with James too.

"Sophie!" someone said and I snapped out of my trance. It was James. "Hello, you alive in there?"

I nodded, not wanting to speak. James frowned and stood up. He held his hand out to me. "C'mon, up you go," he said. "We're going for a walk." I hesitated before finally taking his hand and allowing him to help me up. He didn't let go as we walked away.

Once we were out of sight of the others I looked at James, sliding my hand away from his. He glanced at his hand and then gave me a small smile. "Sorry," he said. "Just kind of-" He didn't finish, just trailed off in midsentence, staring into the distance.

I didn't want to speak. Besides, what would I have said?

"You're probably wondering why I brought you over here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well, let's cut to the chase then. I'm sure you've figured out why I got so upset the other day."

"Yeah," I said awkwardly, avoiding looking at him.

James took a deep breath. "I was just wondering... if it's not Fred and it's not me...who do you fancy?" he asked. Seeing the look on my face, he added, "You said you fancied someone, or hinted at is at least. So who?"

I clenched and unclenched my fist as I thought. "I never said it wasn't you," I said and then froze. I hadn't expected that to come out. "I mean it's-" I stopped what I was saying when I looked up and saw the hope in James's eyes. Did I almost correct myself and tell him it wasn't him? It _was_ him. So why lie? _Just keep you mouth shut, Sophie, _I thought,_ and let him make the next move._

"So...are you saying that it _is_ me?" James asked hesitantly.

"Well, I didn't say that either," I said. "But you know what! I'm sick of this! Who am I _fooling! ?_" I was shouting now. Not at him, but at myself.

James held his hands up. "Whoa, calm down," he said. "What's wrong?"

"How could you be so blind?" I asked, using his own words against him. "Of course it's _you!_ Who else would it be? I may not have realized it until now but it's always been you! And apparently Fred could that! And he could see you liked me! But neither of us were doing _anything_ about it! And speaking of Fred, stop ignoring him! Me and him, just friends, okay! ?"

After all the shouting I'd expected James to get mad and shout back or walk away. But he didn't. He stood there, staring at me for a long while. Then suddenly a huge grin appeared on his face and he pulled me into a hug. The biggest hug I'd ever gotten from anyone. Except maybe from my dad when Destyn and I had won our first-ever Quidditch match. James pulled back, his hands on my shoulders.

"You're serious, right?" he asked hopefully. His eyes were practically shining with happiness.

"Of course I'm - " I reached up and smacked him on the head. "Of course I'm serious! Do you think I'd joke about something like this?"

James smiled again, reaching up and rubbing his head. "So - "

"But wait," I said, taking a step back. "This doesn't mean that we're...together, does it? Because I don't want to get together like this...not while we've been fighting. That's like asking to have our relationship doomed to failure."

"'Our relationship?'" he repeated. "I like the sound of that...but I agree with you. Not like this. Let's just -"

"Stay friends until we get all this figured out?" I suggested and he nodded. "Good, now that we agree -" I didn't finish because James suddenly leaned down, placing a kiss on my cheek, and pressed our foreheads together. I closed my eyes and smiled. "Friends don't kiss each other, James," I told him.

"I know," he said quietly. "I don't care." He paused and then added, "Actually that's not completely true. See, if you're friends _with benefits_ then -" I punched him in the stomach, not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to shut him up.

"Well, we _aren't_ friends with benefits," I said, crossing my arms and walking away. I grinned as I called back to him, "So you'll just have to wait."

"Aw, Sophie!" he said, catching up with me. "You little joker." He threw his arms around my shoulder as we walked back to the others. Something about that felt right. Walking with him by my side. Not like with my previous boyfriends. It never felt _right_ with them. But James...well, it was always right with James.

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><p><strong>Yay! Done with another chapter! So James and Sophie aren't officially together but at least they've stopped fighting and figured out they like each other! :D Woohoo! <strong>

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! Heck, I might have it up today! I have nothing else to do today! Hooray! I've been busy these past few days helping decorate my school, gotta have it done in these next couple weeks! Well, I'm babbling now. Anyway...**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Much appreciated! Keep up the awesome reviews! You all rock! :D**


	9. It's About Time

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, just my OCs.**

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><p><em>Chapter 9 - It's About Time<em>

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><p>"You know what I can't wait for?" Destyn said as he sat down beside me in the Great Hall.<p>

"N.E.W.T.s?" James guessed, his voice filled with sarcasm as he sat on the other side of me.

"Ha-ha, very funny. But no," Destyn said. "Actually, it's -"

"The first Quidditch match," we all said at the same time.

"Yes, we know, Destyn," I said, shaking my head. "It's all you've been talking about for the past week."

Destyn threw his hands up. "Well, excuse me for getting excited about it!" he said. He rolled his eyes and huffed at us.

"You're excused," I said with a grin.

"You guys can't tell me that you're not excited too," Destyn said, ignoring my comment. He looked at Culley and Robby who were too busy trading cards to notice him, and then to Fred who was just grinning wickedly at him, and finally to James who just shrugged.

"I don't know Destyn," he said. "The way you've been making us practice I'm surprised any of us survived to see the first game."

"Hilarious, James," Destyn said, turning his attention to his breakfast and shaking his head.

"Just messing with ya," James said, reaching around me to slug Destyn on the arm. Instead of pulling his arm back though he just rested it on my shoulders. I raised an eyebrow at him and he winked. I glanced quickly at Destyn and noticed that he was watching us curiously, so James let go of me and turned back to his food, red coloring his cheeks.

"Well, I'm excited!" Lorcan exclaimed, making us all jump.

"What the-?" Culley started.

"How long have you been here?" Fred asked, staring at the grinning boy.

"Just got here," Lorcan replied. He was sitting on the other side of Destyn, elbow on the table, cheek resting on his fist.

"Then, how did you know what we were talking about?" Robby asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Lorcan shrugged. "Just guessed," he said and then waved his hand toward Destyn. "You know, it's all he's been talking about so I just assumed..." He trailed off, never finishing his sentence, and then spotted Fred. "So, I guess it worked didn't it?" he asked him, a crooked grin plastered on his face.

"Worked? Wait, what?" Fred asked, completely and obviously confused. It wasn't easy to confuse Fred so much that he couldn't come up with some smart-mouth thing to say. Only Lorcan could do that...or Lysander. They were both odd. That's why I loved having them around. They were different in an extremely awesome way.

Lorcan sighed dramatically. "Oh, Freddie, so oblivious. It _was_ you plan after all, or am I mistaken?" he asked.

"Lorcan Xenophilius Scamander, you are making _no sense!_" Fred exclaimed.

"Neither are you, Frederick George Weasley, seeing as _my_ middle name is Newton not Xenophilius," he stated simply. When Fred gave him a puzzled look he continued, "That's _Lysander's_ middle name." And as if they had planned it, Lysander showed up, taking the seat beside Fred. "And here he is," said Lorcan with a wave of his hand.

"You know, after all these years of knowing you, Fred, I'm a bit hurt that you don't know our middle names," Lysander said in his abnormally calm voice.

"I _do_ know your middle names!" Fred said, throwing his hands in the air. "I just don't know which name belongs to which twin! Anyway, back onto the subject please? _What_ was my plan?"

Lysander grinned. Though Lorcan and Lysander weren't completely identical, their grins were. That same innocent, sweet, carefree, crooked grin. "You honestly can't figure it out for yourself?" he said. "My friend, you would make a terrible Ravenclaw." He shook his head, and made a _tsk tsk_ sound.

"That plan you had to help a certain, well, _two_ certain people," Lorcan said with a wink.

"Oh that!" Fred said, grinning now. "Yeah, it seems like it worked and - hey! Hang on just one moment! How do you two know about that?"

"We know a lot of things," the twins said simultaneously. They both stood, gave us a wave, and walked away. We all just stared after them. They were so..._odd._ Destyn turned to glare at the rest of the Quidditch team.

"You see, Lorcan's excited, why can't you be?" he asked. I brought my palm to my forehead.

"A whole conversation takes place and all you notice is that he said he's excited for Quidditch?" I asked. "Destyn, your my brother and I love you," I placed my hand on his shoulder, "but when Quidditch comes around your brain can think of nothing else." I knocked my knuckles lightly against the side of his head.

Destyn grinned. "It's in my blood," he said with a shrug. "It's who I am. It's who you are too, Sophie, so it's time to get hyped about it!" He grinned at me.

I took a deep breath and stood up, putting on my best excited face. "_Yeah! _First Quidditch match in a week's time!" I pumped my fist in the air. "GO GO GRYFFINDOR! ! !"

Everyone burst out laughing. All the students in the Great Hall stared at me for a moment and then joined in the laughter. I grinned down at Destyn who was howling with laughter. He raised one hand and I gave him a high five, shaking my head at him.

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><p>"I heard we missed quite a display in the Great Hall," said Elizabeth as we sat down for Herbology.<p>

Ali laughed. "Yeah. Fred told us that you got pretty _damn _into the Gryffindor cheer," she said.

"Alice Augusta," came a stern but friendly voice. We whipped around to see Professor Longbottom. Ali's dad. "Language," he said, smiling at us.

"Hi, Ne-Professor," I said, barely correcting myself on time. I always tried to call him 'Professor' at school.

"It's just Neville," he said to me.

"At school it's _Professor Longbottom,_" I said.

"Well, I won't tell if you won't," he said.

"Alright, _Neville_," I said.

Ali shook her head. "Ah, get outta here, Dad," she said jokingly, waving her hand at him. He ruffled her hair and walked to the front of the class, giving us a wave.

"I love your dad, Ali," Elizabeth said, chuckling. "You're _so_ lucky. I mean, not that my dad is _bad_ or anything, just a bit, er, _unusual?_" The three of us laughed for a moment before I spoke.

"Aw, Liz, no worries! I _absolutely adore _your dad! He makes me laugh," I said. She chuckled again as Professor Longbottom called for our attention. After he told us what to do, we set to work on getting grubby. That's why I stayed in Herbology. It was a great excuse to play in the dirt!

* * *

><p>"I love having free periods," James said, plopping onto the grass beneath the beech tree. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the tree beside me. "No class...so nice!" I chuckled.<p>

I smiled at him and he smiled back, giving me a wink. I was fully aware of how close we were, our shoulders touching, his hand beside mine. If I just barely moved my foot it would brush against his. Being that close to him sent a shiver up and down my spine. Not a bad shiver. A pleasant shiver.

I noticed him fidgeting with his hand a bit, as if he wasn't sure it was okay to take my hand. I gave him an encouraging smile and finally he intertwined our fingers. I smiled at that and glanced up to see Fred, sitting a small distance away from with the others, grinning at us and shaking his head. I noticed Destyn too, watching us, obviously puzzled. As I watched, he leaned over and said something to Fred. Fred said something back, making a so-so gesture with his hand, no doubt he was informing him that James and I were 'kind of together' but not truly 'dating.'

Culley and Robby leaned in as Fred talked. Next to lean in were Ali and Elizabeth. And, oh my Merlin, no! Even Casey and Samantha Jordan were listening now. At this rate, everyone was going to find out. Stupid Fred, can't keep his mouth shut. Samantha let out a squeak and covered her mouth, looking at us. I could tell she was smiling, even with her hands over her mouth.

I rolled my eyes and she leaned closer to Fred and said something. Fred burst into laughter and toppled onto the ground, clutching his stomach. I huffed and looked at James. "Idiots," I said, amused. He grinned at me and shrugged.

"Let them have their fun," he said. "Besides, they were bound to find out eventually."

"I know," I sighed. "But still, must they act like children?"

"Bah, we all act like children sometimes," he said, turning to face me. I looked at him and froze, realizing how close our faces were.

I pursed my lips and I looked at him. I'd always known his eyes were brown but I'd never seen them close enough to notice the exact color. They were a deep, chocolatey brown with specks of some darker color in them. Not like my brown eyes. My eyes were plain, boring compared to his. I realized how long I'd been staring at his eyes and bit my lip. I opened my mouth to say something but he stopped me, putting a finger to my lips. He smiled and moved his hand to caress my cheek.

The shivers came back, running along my spine. I closed my eyes, a small smile appearing on my face. I felt James move a bit and then he whispered in my ear.

"Promise me something?" he said. I nodded and he continued, "Meet me on the 7th floor, 8 o'clock. By the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. Promise?"

I couldn't help but wonder why he wanted me to meet him _there_ of all places. Bit random, if you ask me. "Alright, promise," I told him anyway.

"Good," James said, pulling away from me. I had to restrain myself from pulling him back over to me. He pinched my cheek and grinned, then hopped onto his feet and pointed a finger at me. "Don't be late. If you are..." he warned, leaving me to imagine what would happen if I was late.

"I won't be," I said, smiling. He nodded and then turned and ran up to the castle, disappearing inside it. I shook my head and closed my eyes, relaxing against the tree. I flexed my hand, it felt weird without his hand. The air cooled down the heat it had gathered from him, giving it a slight chill.

"You love birds," somebody sighed. I opened my eyes to see Fred standing over me.

"Ah, Freddie, I need to ask you something," I said, gesturing for him to sit down. He dropped onto the grass in front of me. "Might I ask _why_ you ran off that day? You know, in the corridor when James saw us."

Fred laughed. "I wanted to leave you two to figure out your problems on your own," he said in a voice that suggested I should have already known that. "I didn't need to be there. It was your problem to sort out."

I resisted the urge to smack him. "We wouldn't have had that problem if you hadn't pretended to be dating me," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"And it still wouldn't be solved, would it?" he countered.

"Whatever," I said shortly, unable to top that.

"Seriously though, you guys have liked each other for way longer than either of you realize. All I can say is...it's about _time!_" he said, sighing and shaking his head. "I was about to give up and mark you two as a lost cause."

"Oh, _whatever_," I said.

"I have a question," he said.

"I don't want to answer it," I replied.

"Since when did I become your bestest girlfriend?" he said in a girly voice.

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Seriously, isn't it supposed to be your female friends who help with your... _guy problems?_" he asked.

"Usually," I said. "But you volunteered and you're doing a pretty good job so far. Makes me wonder..." I grinned wickedly.

"Haha," he fake-laughed and then waved me away with his hand. "Scram," he said, trying not to smile.

"No, I don't want to move," I said, turning my nose up at him.

"Yeah, you do," he said, grinning. "You've got to get ready for your hot date tonight."

I glared at him. "How did you -!"

Fred held up a hand to silence me. He reached into his pocket and removed an Extendable Ear.

"Wait a second," I said. "How'd you even get the over here!"

"I have my ways," he said.

I sighed and stood up. "I'll never understand you," I said as I started to walk away. "Oh, and by the way, it's _not_ a hot date."

"Sure it's not," Fred called after me.

I just shook my head. But then I started to wonder. What if it _was_ a date? What if this meant James and I were to start dating? A sudden jolt of excitement shot through me as I slipped inside the school. I walked all the way to my dorm hoping against hope that Fred was right. Though I'd never tell him that.

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><p><strong>Ugh, so I didn't get this chapter up when I wanted to! Things happen... and they tend to distract me from writing : Next chapter will have a James/Sophie moment! A big one! But I can't say anything more! =)**

**Oh! I want to say thanks to my reviewers! I'm really glad you're all enjoying this story! It makes feel really good to read all your **_**awesome**_** reviews! Keep it up!**

**Also, I've been thinking I want to add some more pairings in here so it isn't always James and Sophie. Of course, those two will still be the main focus. Problem is, I can't think of who I want to pair. If you have any ideas don't hesitate to put them in your reviews! I'd love to hear what you have to say =)**

**Anyway, keep an eye out for the next chapter! Please excuse any typos in here. I didn't get to check it over. :) Thank you all for reading!**


	10. Important Question

**Disclaimer: Yeah, we all know I don't own HP! :/**

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><p><em>Chapter 10 - Important Question<em>

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><p><em>Well, this was weird.<em> I thought to myself. _Here I am, sneaking around the castle, making sure no one sees me so I can go meet James_.

But that's not what's weird. What was weird was the fact that I had chosen, of my own free will I might add, to wear a skirt. A skirt? I detested skirts! Well, maybe there had been soe coaxing from Ali and Elizabeth. They wanted me to dress 'nice' or whatever. Finally, I'd decided on a skirt. And a pretty _short_ one at that.

_Hot date... Psh, this is Fred's fault! If he hadn't said that then I wouldn't be so worried about looking nice._ Alright, so maybe I blamed Fred too much. But what can I say? He was always the one that said stupid stuff to get people worked up.

Finally, I reached the portrait of Barnabus the Barmy and looked around. I didn't see James anywhere. _Late... Of course..._ I shook my head as Barnabus got clubbed by a troll. "Only an idiot would try to teach trolls ballet," I said, turning away. I froze when I saw a door on the wall opposite the picture. I wracked my brain but couldn't recall there ever being a door there before. I reached out, hesitated, and then opened the door slowly. Bright light greeted me and I shut the door behind me quickly, afraid that a Prefect or Professor might see.

I was now standing in a room I'd never seen before. It wasn't huge but it was fair in size. There was a table to my right side, a couch and a couple comfy chairs to my left. In front of me was what looked like a dance floor and beyong that, a bar with butterbeer and a radio on it. I smiled, knowing that this had to be the work of James. Though at that exact time, I had no idea how he did it. Next, my eyes fell on the boy who was leaning on the bar, grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess I made the right choice of place," James said. "I knew you wouldn't want anything too...elegant."

I nodded. "You were right," I said. Simple was the best thing for me. Elegant, not so much. This place just reminded me of The Three Broomsticks. If he'd made a place like Madam Puddifoot's, I would have bolted."But how -?"

He laughed. "Ah, right. This is the Room of Requirements," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Turns into anything you want. I asked my Uncle Ron about it and he told me what I needed to do to get in." He walked toward me. "He said he wasn't sure if it would work because - Well, he didn't say _why._ But I guess it works."

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my mind. "This is amazing," I said. "How does it work?"

"That door you came through, which I've now made invisible so we won't get caught, is usually just a plain wall. You walk back and forth, three times, in front of it while you think of what you want," he said. "And then while you're in here you can add stuff to it."

I looked up and noticed the ceiling for the first time and my jaw dropped. It reminded me of the Great Hall. There was no ceiling, just stars and a moon. James looked up too. "I knew you liked to look at the stars too," he said simply. Man, he knew _everything_ about me didn't he? Guess I wasn't surprised. We've known each other since _before_ we even started at Hogwarts. "I'm not sure if we're seeing the real sky or just one the Room made up...but it's still nice."

Smiling, I looked at James again and realized that hadn't spoken much. I'd been making him do all the talking. I glanced at the butterbeer. "It can make drinks too?" I asked.

James shook his head. "I had to sneak into Hogsmeade to get that," he said. "That's the one thing the Room can't do." He walked over to the bar, grabbing my hand and pulling me along as he went. He handed me a butterbeer and took one himself. "So, how long did it take you to find me?" he asked.

"Not long, actually," I said smugly. "I kind of thought you were late at first. It only took me a minute to stop being distracted by the trolls and notice the door behind me." James just smiled and shook his head at me. With a wave of his wand the radio turned on and I heard my favorite song by the Weird Sisters. "Oh, I love this song!" I said.

James raised his eyebrows, a mischievious grin on his face. "Oh, really?" he asked, setting the butterbeer down. "Well, 17 years of knowing you and I never knew your favorite song. Come on," he said as he pulled me toward the dancefloor.

"Oh, no! No way, James," I said, trying to stop him. "I can't dance!"

"Yes, you can. You just don't like to," he said, and with one final pull I was on the dancefloor with his arms around me. I looked up at him. I could feel myself blushing. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I hesitantly put my hands on his shoulders. "You look nice, by the way," he whispered to me.

"Thanks," I said lamely. "You too." Of course, at that moment I wouldn't know what to say. Sure, I'd had plenty of boyfriends before but they were never like this. They were lame. All I ever did with them was walk around Hogsmeade. I like simple dates but I don't like _boring_ dates. And this was _far_ from boring. It was simple but fun and I got to be with someone I really cared about. I felt a slight rumble in James's chest as he chuckled and I realized that I'd pulled myself closer to him and had my head on his chest. I have no idea how that happened. I must have been really lost in my thoughts.

"I think I can say that you're enjoying yourself," he said, chuckling again. He leaned back a bit to look at me, a smile on his face. "Now, I'm sure you know I didn't bring you here just because of some random urge. I actually have something important to ask you."

_Oh. My. God! By Merlin's pants_! Was he going to ask me out! ?

I tried not to grin at the thought but I could feel myself getting jittery. The heat was rising to my cheeks again as I looked him. I had to purse my lips to keep from shouting 'yes' before he even started speaking. For goodness sake, I didn't even know for sure if that's what he was going to ask. I didn't want to say yes if it was something else. Talk about disasterous and embarassing.

James took a deep breath and spoke, "Sophie, will you," he paused, moving his hands to cup my face, "be my girlfriend?"

_Aaaahhh! He asked!_ I still had to restrain myself from screaming with happiness. And let me tell you, I never had that kind of reaction about anything. _Ever_. I even surprised myself. I nodded my head quickly, not trusting my voice. I could feel a huge smile spreading across my face. "Of course," I managed to say.

Those words gave James every ounce of courage he needed to lean down and kiss me. I pulled him close as his lips pressed against mine. And I'm just going to say it, James could kiss like no one else! He was amazing. His kiss was like a combination of fiery and passionate with gentle and sweet. His hands found my waist again and mine tangled in his hair as I stood on my tip toes to deepen the kiss. Finally, we had to break apart to breath. He pulled me into a loving embrace as I nestled my head against his chest.

_Merlin's Beard!_ I was finally officially dating James Sirius Potter! I could feel my heart trying to pound out of my chest and the heat in my face. I was grinning like a madman, thankfully James couldn't see my face.

We stayed in the Room of Requirement for a long time that night, talking, joking, cuddling. All that good coupley stuff I'd never really done before. It was at least midnight when we snuck back to Gryffindor Tower. James gave me quick kiss goodnight and I walked to my dorm feeling as though I had taken an Elixir to Induce Euphoria. Everyone was asleep when I got there so I got ready for bed and snuggled into my blankets, still smiling and thinking about James.

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><p><strong>Yay! He finally asked her out! :D I've been waiting to write that part! I hope I did a good job! Let me know what you think!<strong>

**Thank you reviewers! You rock! =) I know I've said this a million times but it really means a lot to me to know that you like my story!**

**As for the pairings, I've been thinking about Fred and someone but I'm not sure if I want it to be someone I've already created or if I want to make a new OC for him. I did come up with an idea for L- - - wait, no I'm not going to say who it is but now you know that their name starts with 'L' ;D**

**Anyway, sorry this chapter's kind of short. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time! Next chapter will be up soon and keep up the awesome reviews!**

**I'm blabbing...**

**I'll just be quiet now :D**


	11. Fighting Like Muggles

**Disclaimer: I think you all get that I don't own HP =)**

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><p><em>Chapter 11 - Fighting Like Muggles<em>

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><p>"You're freaking me out, Sophie," Elizabeth said. "Actually, you're freaking both of us out."<p>

"You've been grinning all day," Ali said. "If you don't stop you're face is going to freeze that way."

"Maybe it already has," Elizabeth said.

"It's better than that permanent scowl she used to have everyday," said Ali.

That snapped me out of it. I reached out and smacked her on the head. "Permanent scowl?" I asked. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Elizabeth said slyly.

"Hey! That's my line that I use on Destyn," I complained.

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at me and Ali just laughed.

"Seriously, what's got you in such high spirits?" Ali asked. I hadn't told anyone about James asking me out the night before. I had myself convinced that I hadn't said anything because I was waiting for the right time. Truth is, I was just too loopy to say anything about it. My mind had been on that night for hours and I hadn't thought about sharing it with my friends. I guessed that James had already told everyone. Destyn, Fred, Lorcan, Lysander, Casey, Culley, Robby. Yep, all of them. I had no doubt that they would interrogate us about _what we did_ last night. Guys...always got their mind on one thing.

Elizabeth waved her hand in front of my face. "Hello?" she said. "Earth to Crazy Girl!"

I swatted her hand away gently. "What?"

"What happened?" Ali asked. "You've been spacing out all day and to be honest... I think you're Tentacula's getting a bit irritated." She nodded to the Venomous Tentacula in front of me.

"Irritated?" I asked with a laugh. "It's a plant!" I reached out to get to work on trimming it's teeth. "How can a plant get irritated - OW!" The stupid Tentacula lashed out and bit me.

Elizabeth yelped and jumped up, trying to help me. She pulled the Tentacula away. Ali sighed and shook her head. "Dad!" she called, although she was supposed to call him Professor during class. "Sophie's been day dreaming and forgot to put her gloves on!"

I blushed. "Thanks for that, Ali," I said, clutching my hand as Neville hurried over to us "You couldn't at least make it sound like I was paying _some_ attention?"

Ali shrugged. "Well, you weren't," she said. "And I do _not_ want to lie to my dad. I'll get a talking to if I do."

"Daddy's girl," I muttered.

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><p>I walked into lunch with my hand bandaged up. Thankfully the Tentacula barely got me so I didn't get poisoned. <em>Merlin,<em> that would have been bad. Ali, little miss Herbology know-it-all, had just laughed at me when we realized it wasn't a bad bite. She told me I was overreacting and she had been bit by more dangerous plants and animals. Of course, this was Ali and I knew that inside she was really worried. That's what happened when she got worried. She acted like it was no big deal, kind of like me. In that way she was unlike either of her parents. They always showed when they were worried.

I sat down beside Culley, placing my injured hand on the table and glaring at it. I was still thoroughly ticked off at the stupid Tentacula. Neville had had to pull me away from it when I tried to chop off it's spiky little head with the trimmers.

"What happened to you?" Culley asked, looking at my hand and trying not to laugh.

I glared at him. "Venomous Tentacula," I said simply. "But the real question is...what happened to _you?_"

Culley's hair was singed a bit and there was ash smudged all over his face.

Robby barked out a laugh. "He just told me this story actually," he said. "Pretty funny to be completely honest. Sorry, Cull."

Culey scowled at Robby. "I'm not telling anyone that story again," he said. I begged him and begged him until he finally gave in. Apparently, while in Muggle Studies, which he took just for the heck of it, some Slytherin had annoyed him and he tried to hex him. Of course, since it's Culley it didn't work. He messed it up somehow and the hex split two ways. One exploded in his face, the other hit the Professor in the bum.

I burst into laughter. "Not only did you hex _explode_ but you managed to send two way!" I said, catching my breath. "How in the world did you do that? Did you get detention for it?"

"Of course I got detention for it," he said. "I used magic in _Muggle _Studies _and_ hit the Professor with it!"

I stifled my laughter. "It's okay, Culls," I said, patting him on the back. "At least you entertained some people!"

"Oh, shut it," Culley said.

"Did you just tell Sophie to shut it?" James asked, sitting down beside me. "Careful now, Culley, that's my girlfriend you're talking to like that."

Ali and Elizabeth looked at me with their jaws dropped. I shrugged at them. "What?" I asked.

"_What?_" Elizabeth repeated. "You are now officially dating James and all you have to say is 'what' like there isn't anything to _tell us!_ I'm thoroughly offended." She crossed her arms and pouted.

Ali shook her head. "Sheesh, Sophie," she said, poking at her food. "When _were_ you going to tell us?"

"In Herbology actually," I said with a shrug. "But then we had that incident. Speaking of Herbology," I glared at James. "you were supposed to be there, mister. Were you skipping?"

"Absolutely not!" James said, acting offended. "What reason would I have to skip -?"

"We're geniuses!" Fred exclaimed, sliding onto the seat between Ali and Elizabeth. "Skipping class to set of dungbombs in Professor Ell's classroom! Awesome!" He reached over and gave James a high five. I raised an eyebrow at James.

"Okay, so maybe I skipped," he said. "I hate Tentaculas. And for good reason." He reached over and held my bandaged hand lightly in his. "Like this. Of course, only a fool would go near a Tentacula without gloves on their hands."

I smacked him with my good hand. "Shut it," I said and then a realization hit me. "_Oh no!_ Destyn's going to _kill_ me if my hand isn't better by Saturday!"

Culley, Robby, Fred, James, and Lorcan, who had just showed up out of nowhere, all froze and looked at me, wide-eyed. "We should hide her before he gets here," Culley suggested. "That way we don't have to here him freaking out about it."

"Oh, too late," Lorcan said, looking at the entrance to the Great Hall. We all groaned as Destyn reached us. He looked down at my hand, puzzled.

"Here it goes," Robby muttered.

Destyn's eyes popped when he realized what had happened. "What the h -!"

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><p>After Destyn had freaked out about me hurting my hand he sent me straight to the Hospital Wing to make sure it would get better before our Quidditch match. James, Fred, Ali, and Culley had accompanied me. We had just exitted the school when it happened. The two Flints, Uriah and Montgomery, stepped in our way. Uriah was a year older than Montgomery, but you couldn't really tell. They looked the same age. They weren't the only ones there, though. Warrington and Vaisey and Crabbe (ew!) were there as well. Along with that one weird Slytherin girl, who's name I didn't care to remember.<p>

Delilah and her Bitch Crew were standing a little ways away from us, watching with beady little eyes. No doubt they put these guys up to this. Now they were just going to stand by and watch, pretending that they had nothing to do with it.

"What do _you_ want?" James asked them coldly. The anger in his voice was clear and I'm sure he meant for it to be. James can get pretty scary when he's angry, just saying.

This didn't make them back down though. Uriah Flint, who was standing in front of the other like some important leader, crossed his arms and looked down at James. Now, James isn't short in any way at all. He's at least 6'0 but Uriah... Yikes! He was like the tallest guy _ever!_ He towered over James.

"Heard you've been getting around lately," Uriah said to James, smirking. "First it's Thompson," he jerked his head toward Delilah, "and now Wood." He peered down at me and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who's next? Is it going to be Longbottom?" He glanced at Ali, who got all tense all of a sudden. Ali was awesome in every single way but when it came to Slytherins, especially the big ones, she got kind of freaked out. She had a bad experience with them in her first year. She was the target of all their bullying back then.

"Shut up, Flint," I said. "From what I hear, you get around quite a lot. But I just gotta say, the girls you get with must be blind because," I looked him up and down and wrinkled my nose in disgust, "hm, yikes. Need I say more?" I noticed Ali's lip twitch into a small smile.

"Like you have any room to talk, Wood," he said. I clenched my fists. Oh, he did _not_ just insult my looks did he! ? "I'm sure you'd throw yourself at any guy who looked at you. That's how you got this one, isn't it?" He gestured at James.

_He's going down now!_

Fred stepped forward. "I think you're getting Sophie mixed up with someone else," he said calmly. He made an obvious glance at Delilah. "Because I know of a different girl who throws herself at guys all the time. That's how she got with_ you_, isn't it?"

James blinked. I'd forgotten that he didn't know about Delilah and Flint. It had to suck for him to find out this way.

Flint, this time it was Montgomery, spoke up. It seemed that Fred had stumped Uriah for a little while. "What would you know, Weasel?" Montgomery asked, sneering at Fred. "You're always too busy chasing after something you know you can't have."

Fred froze. It looked like he was chewing on the inside of his cheek as he stared at Flint. "Not sure what you mean by that, Flint," he said, recovering finally. "Then again, you never make much sense. That big head of yours doesn't hold much of a brain, does it?"

I stifled a laugh as Montgomery's face twisted up with anger. By Merlin, it made him look hideous. Though I have to admit, he was a right side better looking than his brother. Still, ugly. I glanced at all the faces of the Slytherins. They were grimacing at us, knowing that they were currently losing this arguement. The only one that wasn't grimacing was the girl... What was her name? Elly? No. But it was similar. Whatever.

She was the only one who had a somewhat normal expression on her face. It was a mixture of curiousity and disgust. I noticed that she was looking to my left side. I glanced and realized that it was Culley, who was looking at the ground. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"Hey, why don't you guys run back to your little hidey-hole in the dungeons now, hm?" said James. "We can continue this later. On the pitch."

Uriah let out a disgusted laugh. "If you want to wait to be creamed, Potter," he said, "then by all means, leave."

"Actually, we were hoping you would be smart enough to realize that _you_ need to go," said Fred, "before you got creamed. We're saving you from humiliation here. At least until Quidditch."

"Keeping talking, Weasel," said Montgomery, "and you'll get yourself into trouble."

"Are you threatening me?" Fred asked calmly, but his eyes burned with anger.

Montgomery opened his mouth to speak but Uriah interrupted. "Hey, Weasley," he took a stop closer to Fred and leaned forward a bit. He said something that no one else could here and then leaned back. Fred's face was red with anger, his fists were clenched at his sides, and he was gritting his teeth together. "Think about that for a little while."

I almost missed what happened next because it happened so fast. Uriah was about to turn and walk away when Fred pulled his fist back and struck him right in the jaw. Uriah stumbled back, startled. Fred took this chance to attack. He jumped Uriah, knocking him onto the ground, and striking him in the face again and again. Montgomery jumped forward and tried to pull Fred off but James stopped him, shoving him aside.

People had gathered around us and Fred and Uriah rolled around the ground, punching each other in the face. There were cheers of '_Go, Uriah' _from the Slytherins and '_Get him, Fred!_' from our fellow Gryffindors and even some Hufflepuffs.

"Guys, stop it!" Ali said. "Stop it! Now!" But her cries went unheard, the cheering and yelling drowning them out.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and everyone froze. Crabbe had a hold of Fred. James and Culley were holding Uriah back. They let go of him, shoving him towards his brother as Crabbe release Fred. We looked around for the source of the explosion. The Slytherin girl had her wand raised. She was glaring around at everyone, including the other Slytherins.

"Enough," she said, lowering her wand. "Fighting like muggles. Aren't you above that, Uriah?" She turned her gaze to him as she spoke.

Uriah sputtered. "Ashlee," he said. Ah, that was her name! Wolfe, Ashlee Wolfe. Now I remember. "The Weasel started it!" At this, Fred tried to jump him again but James caught hold of him. Uriah flinched away, afraid of getting hit again.

"And you would sink to his level?" Ashlee asked. James had to tighten his grip on Fred. Ashlee glanced at Fred, her expression calm, and then turned her gaze back to Uriah before continuing, "Don't embarass yourself further, Uriah. We should go."

I shivered. Her voice had this creepy emptiness to it. It freaked me out. I watched as she caught hold of Uriah's arm, moving him swiftly through the crowd. She called to the other Slytherins, and they all followed her inside. Probably heading to the Hospital Wing. I noticed Culley fidgeting beside me. I looked at him as he watched the Slytherins disappear. His face was a mixture of concern, disappointment, and...sadness?

Fred glared at the Slytherins as he wiped some blood off his lip.

"You're going to get in huge trouble for that, you know," Ali said quietly. "Someone's bound to tell a Professor."

"I don't care," Fred said, frowning. "It was worth it."

"What did he say to you?" James asked.

"Something he shouldn't know," Fred said. For a second I thought I saw tears welling up in his eyes but I had to have been imagining it. Fred wouldn't cry and when I looked harder, there were no signs of tears.

"We should get you to the Hospital Wing," I said, taking Fred's arm.

"No," he said, jerking away from me. "That's where _they_ are."

"Oh, grow up!" I said, grabbing hold of him again. "You need to get this," I gestured at his injuries, "taken care of! Who cares if they're there? Just ignore them, they won't try to start a fight there."

"I don't care," he said. "I don't want to go." He pulled away from me again but James caught him.

"Come on, Freddie," James said, dragging Fred inside. Ali followed. I shook my head and turned to say something to Culley, but he wasn't there. He was nowhere in sight. Which was kind of weird since I'd _just_ seen him about two seconds before.

Shrugging, I turned away, catching Delilah's eye. She was glaring at me so I glared back before walking into the castle to find the others. Something told me that this wasn't the end of things. This was only the first of many arguements and fights to come.

Delilah wasn't going to give up.

But neither was I.

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><p><strong>Ooooh! And the tension with the Slytherins begins! :D I got all excited writing about Fred punching Uriah right in the face! He totally deserved it. :)<strong>

**Anyway, thank you for the reviews! :) I've been thinking and I have some ideas for pairings, but I'm not telling who... Not yet! **

**Oh! Next chapter is... Quidditch! Yaaaaay!**

**Wooo! Two chapters in one day! :D So, next chapter will be up in a day or two! There might be a delay... Tomorrow I have to get back to decorating my school... *sigh* Keep up with the great reviews and I'm glad you're enjoying my story! :D**


	12. Disaster

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, J.K. Rowling does! Because she's awesome like that :)**

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><p><em>Chapter 12 - Disaster<em>

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><p>Everyone was silent as we grabbed our brooms. We weren't nervous or anything, just focusing. We never talked much right before a game. We had our scarlet quidditch robes on and we were heading out to the pitch for our first game of our last year. The sadness I had felt at the beginning of the year came back suddenly. This was the beginning of our last chance to win the Quidditch Cup. Destyn had already given us our pre-match pep talk which lasted for <em>way<em> too long.

I could hear the crowd cheering as we walked onto the pitch, Gryffindors were doing the usual cheer and the Slytherins were 'booing' at us. Honestly, can't they ever grow up? Stupid Slytherins. Whatever, I guess it didn't matter. Today we would give them the whooping they deserved.

"Ready?" Destyn asked us. We all nodded, staring down the Slythers as we reached the middle of the pitch. Uriah Flint was the Captain, so he stepped up, shaking hands with Destyn. They both looked as if they wanted to crush the other's hand. Their two Beaters and their Seeker, Montgomery Flint, Andre Vaisey, and Bryan Sanders were right behind Uriah. Behind them were the chasers, Clyde Warrington, Ashlee Wolfe, and Cadence Dravers.

Next thing I knew I was mounting my broom and rising into the air. The whistle was blown and the game began. I darted forward, being the quickest of the Chasers, and grabbed the Quaffle. I saw Montgomery Flint aim a Bludger at me but now was no time for me to get distracted. I had to put my trust in my team's Beaters to keep it away from me. And my trust was well-placed. Fred seemed to appear out of nowhere, hitting the Bludger back at Flint with a cocky grin on his face. I stifled my laughter and soared toward the goal posts. I raised the Quaffle and threw it as hard as I could, making the first score of the game. The Gryffindors cheered and screamed.

"YES! Sophie scored! Genius, that girl is!" I heard Casey announce.

"Move over, Casey! I'm commentating!" That was definitely Samantha's voice. I guess they never worked out who would commentate for the first match.

"Psh!"

I shook my head and ignored them, getting back to the game.

Back and forth we flew, scoring points, blocking opponents, hitting Bludgers. The usual Quidditch stuff. The score was up to 90-80. Gryffindor was leading only by 10 points. James didn't seem to be having much luck with getting the Snitch. He and Sanders had been going at it, trying to get the Snitch first, but to avail.

"_Sophie!"_

I looked up and noticed almost too late that there was a Bludger headed my way. I barely ducked in time and then Lorcan flew by me, pursuing the Bludger. I took off again, chasing down that Slytherin girl, Ashlee Wolfe. She had the Quaffle and she was getting way to close to the goal post. I was a second too late. She scored.

90-90.

_Damn._ Culley had the Quaffle now. And we started back and forth again. Scoring and blocking. This game was taking _forever_.

120-100.

I noticed Montgomery Flint out the corner of my eyes, aiming another Bludger. I thought that it was aimed for me so I ducked just as he hit it. It sped right by my face and for a second I was confused. Did he miss? No... I looked to see where he was aiming and saw...

"JAMES POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Casey and Samantha howled together. The Gryffindors screamed wildly and the Slytherins booed.

_CRACK!_

The cheering ceased immediately as Flint's Bludger made contact with James's broom. It snapped in half. The force of the blow sent him flying into a stand full of Ravenclaws who all jumped back in shock. Culley and Robby passed me at full speed. Fred and Lorcan were next and then Destyn. I was frozen.

"Is he alright?" Samantha cried out.

"That was a pretty bad blow," Casey replied. "I-I'm sure he's fine though..." He didn't sound so sure.

I shook my head. He would be alright. He was _always _alright. He pulled crazy stunts all the time and he always turned out fine but this time...

I took off, catching up with the others quickly. When I reached the stands I jumped off my broom and kneeled beside Fred, who was trying to gently move an unconcious James. He stopped and looked at me.

"I don't want to move him," Fred said. "I mean, I could end up hurting him worse, ya know?"

"Look out! Move!" That was Lysander's voice. He shoved his way through the crowd and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at James, muttering a spell. James levitated into the air and Lysander began walking, moving James with him. It was effective and everybody moved for him. I was still in shock though.

"C'mon, Sophie," Destyn said from behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He started moving through the crowd, the rest of the team following closely.

"He's going to be alright, isn't he?" I asked Destyn.

"This is James we're talking about," he replied. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."

I didn't like his tone of voice. He didn't sound like he was very sure about what he said. James would be ok though... Wouldn't he?

* * *

><p>I forced my lazy eyes to open and slowly raised my head. Right, I was still in the Hospital Wing, sitting on a chair beside the bed James was occupying. It was the morning after the Quidditch match and he hadn't woken up yet. I technically wasn't supposed to be there but Fred had helped me sneak back inside in the middle of the night, after Madam Henn had kicked me out.<p>

I felt so pathetic. So helpless. Here he was, hurt, with a ton of broken bones and bruises. He had a few cuts and scrapes on him too. Some of the Ravenclaws who had been near by when he wrecked described to me just how bad it had been. They said that he hit the edge of the stands first and then crashed into the seats. If he had landed just titch further from the seats he would have just smacked into the side of the stand and fallen to the ground. I shuddered at the thought. There was no way he would have survived that.

Even though he was seriously injured right now at least he was alive. It could have been worse. Much, much worse.

I placed my elbows on the edge of the bed and my head in my hands, and groaned. This was partially my fault. I saw Flint hit that Bludger. I should have done something. "Maybe if I had said something he would have had time to dodge it?" I wondered out loud. I groaned again, squeezing my eyes shut. "Stupid, stupid me..."

"'S not your fault, Soph," I heard someone say... James? I felt a familiar hand run through my hair and jerked my head up.

"James?" I said foolishly. He was awake! His head, still resting on the pillow, was tilted slightly towards me, a crooked grin was plastered on his face. "_What are you smiling about?"_ I asked sharply.

"You," he replied simply. He chuckled. "Beating yourself up over this. It's so like you to do this." I bit my lip as he continued. "It's really not your fault. You couldn't have done anything, it all happened too fast. We won the game at least."

"Wha-! ?" I exclaimed. "James Sirius Potter, have you any idea how tempted I am to smack you right now! ? Ooh, if you weren't already injured!"I gritted my teeth, exhaling loudly. "You could very well have died and all you care about is that we won the game! You sound like my brother!"

"Destyn and I are two of a kind," James said, still grinning. "Sorry, sweetie, you'll just have to deal with that."

"Deal with -" I froze. "Wait, what? What did you call me?" Did he say..._sweetie?_ Since when did he start calling me lovey-dovey names like that?

"Uh, er, no," he said quickly, his face turning a bit red. "I mean, er, yeah, but I didn't mean it like - I was just using it as a- what I meant was-"

"Shh," I said, trying not to laugh. I brushed some hair away from his bruised face as gently as I could. "It's alright. You don't have to explain yourself, I don't mind."

James went silent, turning his eyes away from me. He was still blushing. I guess it really embarrassed him to slip up like that. I really _didn't_ mind, but it _was_ kind of unexpected. I rested my hands on the edge of the bed again. He looked at me, looked away, and looked back.

"You don't have to stay," he said.

"I want to," I replied stubbornly. That brought a smile to his face. He reached out and took one of my hands in his.

"So, uh, since I'm injured and can barely move does that mean I get to boss you around?" He asked teasingly. _Damn him!_

"No," I said, glaring at him.

"One favor?"

"Err..." I decided to mess with him a bit. "I don't think so."

"Just one?"

"Eh, you're gonna have to beg for it."

"Please, Soph?"

I shook my head, trying not to grin.

"Pretty please?"

"Nope."

"Pretty, pretty, _pretty_ please?"

I pursed my lips, watching him closely. "Hmm, alright," I said. "Just one can't hurt, right?"

"Right," he said and then blushed a bit again.

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Er," he hesitated and looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Just... kiss me?"

My face went red immediately. _No way..._ Such a cheesy request! Did he really want me to kiss him? Right now? I guess no one was around to see. But what if I accidently hurt him or something? I had to be super gentle with him, I didn't want to make anything worse. Gah, what was I saying? James wasn't weak... Sheesh, I was just being paranoid.

"Well, never mind," James said. "You don't have to."

He was being so bashful that it was almost too adorable. I'd never seen him act like that before. He stumbled over some more words so I decided it was time to stop the teasing. I lifted myself off of my seat and leaned forward. I pressed my lips to his in a quick kiss. I didn't want to hurt him. But when I started to pull away I suddenly felt an arm wrap around me and pull me down. "Waaahhh! James!" I said, looking at him. He was grinning mischieviously. "You're kidding, right? Were you seriously acting that whole time?"

James shrugged. "Slightly," he said. "I really am injured but I figured I had to play it up a bit. Now it's my turn to ask a question. What kind of kiss was that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"A quick one," I said, frowning. "I was trying to be gentle."

"You can be gentle and give me a _real_ kiss at the same time," he said, grinning. "Let's try it." I didn't get a chance to reply because he pulled me into another kiss, a _real_ kiss, this time. It was slightly awkward because I was trying not to lean on him while also trying to be as close as possible to him. I felt his other arm wrap around my waist. He pulled me onto the bed beside him, breaking the kiss. He smiled at me. "_That_ was a real kiss. What you did was a _peck_."

"Shut it," I mumbled, pouting."I was being considerate of your injuries. Which you should be too! You shouldn't be moving so much!"

"Bah!" He exclaimed. "I'll snog my girlfriend if I want, no matter what kind of injuries I have."

"Oh Merlin," I said, burying my face in his chest. "You're hopeless."

"Ahem, excuse me, love birds," said a boy's voice. I looked up to see Fred grinning at us. "Hate to interrupt, but I want to visit my friend."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Fine," I said. "I'm not moving though. I'm comfortable right here."

"That's fine with me," Fred said with a shrug. "But please, no sweet talkin' or snoggin' while I'm here."

James grinned. "You have no idea how tempted I am to start sweet talking her just to annoy you," he said.

"Merlin, no! My eyes will burn!" Fred said jokingly, laughing. His face soon turned serious as he summoned a chair with a flick of his wand. "How are you doing?" he asked James.

"Hey," I said, sitting up. "I'll leave you two for now, 'kay?"

"Alright," James said, giving me a quick kiss.

"I'll be back soon," I said. I ruffled Fred's hair as I walked by him. "See you later, Freddie." I glanced back at them as I walked out of the Hospital Wing. They were talking quietly to each other, Fred looking rather serious, which was rare for him. I knew he had been really worried about James. They'd been best friends since they were tiny. Even though Fred always joked around and always seemed as though he didn't care, he really did.

"Oof!" I heard someone squeak as I bumped into them.

"Oh, hey, Roxy," I said, looking at the younger girl standing before me. "What're you doing up here?"

"I was coming to check on my stupid cousin," Roxanne said. "I'm guessing since you're out here he's fine. Right?"

I nodded.

"I figured you wouldn't leave otherwise," she said. "I should still go talk to him though."

"Be warned, your brother's in there," I said.

"Eh, I deal with him enough," Roxanne said. "I'll talk to James later. I should go... See you later." She waved and walked away.

_That was...odd._ I thought to myself. _She seemed to be in a rush. _I started walking again, only to stop a few minutes later. I heard lowered voices down one of the corridors. I strained my ears.

"Yeah, it was stupid of him to do that," said a girl's voice. "I apologize for any trouble it causes you and your team."

"_Any_ _trouble it cause me and my team?_" Culley's voice. "We're not concerned about the team right now, we're concerned about James. Flint could have killed him with that Bludger. If it had hit him in the head he wouldn't be alive right now! You apologize for causing trouble for the team but _not for almost killing my friend_. Honestly, sometimes it seems like you have no feelings. Don't you know what it's like to be worried about someone."

Silence. I edged closer, trying to get close enough to peek around the corner without getting noticed. I wanted to know who he was talking about.

Culley scoffed. "Of course you don't," he said. "I wouldn't expect you to know anything about _caring_ for people. You don't care about anything but your reputation and your little Slytherin buddies."

I put two and two together there. It was a girl, she was Slytherin, and she seemed to be a part of the Slytherin Quidditch team, so it had to be Ashlee Wolfe.

"I have no one who's important enough to me to care about," Ashlee replied calmly. She didn't even sound the slightest bit upset. Her voice was monotone, emotionless. "At least, I didn't _before_."

Silence again.

"Don't start with this, Ashlee," Culley said. I froze. Since when was he on first name terms with Wolfe? I suddenly had a bad feeling. "This is done. _I'm_ done." He hesitated. "This is why it didn't work out, you don't feel anything."

"You don't know what I feel, Culley," said Ashlee. "That's not why it didn't work out. It didn't work out because it was impossible... You're a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin. That's _impossible_, Culley." Wolfe's voice was starting to have some emotion in it now. She sounded _pissed_. "I'll talk to you - never mind." Footsteps... One pair going in one direction of the corridor, the other coming toward me. I didn't know which it was but I didn't want them to see me. I turned to run. "Wood?"

_Crap..._

I turned around to face Ashlee Wolfe.

"Did you hear all of that?" she asked. She looked ashamed, and slightly, no, _very_...upset. I nodded slowly. She looked at the ground.

"I won't say anything," I said. "I promise."

I have no idea why I said that so immediately. After all, if _she'd_ heard _me_ in a situation like that then she would have had it all over the school in no time. Then again, maybe not. If I were in a secret relationship with a Slytherin she might not say anything. She wouldn't want to ruin the Slytherin 'image'

She looked at me, eyes wide.

"For Culley's sake," I said quickly. "Not yours."

He lips twitched into a slight smile as she opened her mouth to speak.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew! That chapter took forever to write! Hahaha! I sat down and wrote it all today because I felt like I've been neglecting this story. I'm sorry it took so long to update! I have been SO busy with school! And on top of that I've had Student Council duties I have to do and Math homework... -_- I hate math...and math hates me... Also, I've been preparing for a bunch of other stuff I have to do this week... I just want to sleep... <strong>

**I've only been able to get on the computer like 5 minutes everyday... Not enough time to type... :/ *sad***

**Well, I'll stop complaining now! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! A lot of stuff happened... And the ending of this one! I have been waiting SO long to write in that bit about Culley and Ashlee! Yippee! I finally got to!**

**So! Please review! (I love reviews!) And let me know what you think! Also, suggestions for things that you want to happen in this story are totally welcome! I often try to incorporate my readers' ideas into my stories! (I always give credit to them too!) So go go go!**

**:D I love you all for reading my story and leaving me lovely reviews and I hope you haven't given up on me... I didn't mean to take so looooong! *cries***

**Next chapter will be up in a week or so! I won't have internet for about 4 days... *depressed***

**Also, I apologize for any typos! I didn't get a chance to check it over! :(**


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